Not Right
by randxgirl
Summary: COMPLETED! On the night of Unforgiven, something was not right with Stephanie Levesque, Marissa McMahon and Rebecca Hickenbottom.
1. First It Was Stephanie

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone… although I wish I did own Paul, Shawn, Randy and Shane. Everyone belongs to WWE, and to themselves, or to their respective parents.

CHAPTER 1: First It Was Stephanie…

September 17, 2006. Sunday. For a normal individual, it's just a normal Sunday. It was the last day of the weekend before students had to go back to school the next day; it was the final day of rest for people who had a job. But for WWE owners, superstars and fans, today is a special day. Today marks the day, when we make sure that we are able to tell our most bitter enemies that their sins will be… UNFORGIVEN.

----

It was 4:30 in the afternoon and Stephanie Mcmahon-Levesque was in her office, along with her dad discussing matters about tonight's pay-per-view. Normally, she would openly voice out her opinions regarding what she thought would be the best ways, results, and directions for the show and matches to go with, but this afternoon, she was different. She hasn't been the normal, bubbly, attentive Steph, she couldn't concentrate well on this meeting. She was definitely on a different planet, and no one had a clue what was going on with her. She has been this way all day.

-Flashback-

"Heya!" Paul Levesque (Triple H) greeted his wife once he stepped inside their 2-million-dollar bus, preparing to leave for the arena for tonight's pay-per-view.

"Hi…" replied Steph, who was obviously not in the mood. Aurora was with Paul's parents. They "offered" to look after her that weekend, knowing that both Paul and Steph would be very busy.

Sounding the difference in the tone of her voice, Paul asked and even joked: "What's wrong? Ain't you happy to see the most handsome and greatest husband ever?"

"Huh? Nothing…"

"Why do you look gloomy and sound non-happy? What's going on?"

"Nothing… I swear… I'm fine… it's just lack of sleep… and lack of coffee…"

He knew she wasn't telling the truth, but he didn't want to push her any further. Yeah right, she lacked sleep… she was able to get at least 5 hours of sleep last night, and that's an hour and a half more than what she had the month before when she was up until 3 am finalizing details for Summerslam. And during that time, she was all active and hyper that day. And she lacked coffee! Paul had already lost count on how many cups of coffee she had taken this morning. There's just something about the McMahon's and coffee… they go together. Mcmahon's can't live without coffee… maybe it was because they worked irregular hours and had to be up all day. Paul let this situation slip, and decided that she would tell her what's wrong when she was ready.

They reached the arena, with Steph not speaking any word after their first and last conversation. Paul was seriously bothered by this situation, but thought that she probably needed more time and space. They parted ways; Steph proceeded to her dad's office and Paul to the locker room with the rest of the guys.

-End of Flashback-

"Okay, since it's obvious that you're not on the same planet as I am, would you care to share what's on your mind? Any brilliant, magnificent ideas hiding inside there?" Vince asked while gently knocking on Steph's head after he had observed that he seemed to be talking to the wall for the past fifteen minutes.

"Huh, what?"

"What what?

"What were you saying? How would the Cena-Edge match end?"

"Never mind that, because it's obvious you're bothered by something and you're not paying attention. Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Nothing… I'm fine…"

"Yeah right, you have never been a good liar Steph, ever since you were little."

"No, honestly, I'm fine…"

"Why? Did Paul do something to you? Did you two fight? Or is there something wrong with Aurora?" Vince was definitely concerned why his only daughter was not herself today.

"No, no, we're fine. We're all fine."

"Then what's really going on?"

"Nothing… I'm okay… now, let's just get going with this okay?"

"How are we supposed to talk about tonight when it seems that I'm just talking to myself and you're somewhere else?"

"I'm sorry… I promise, I'll pay more attention already. Now where were we?"

Vince let this one slide, and proceeded to continue with the meeting. Although Steph paid a little more attention, it was still obvious that she was not her normal self. Nonetheless, the two were able to finish their meeting and proceeded to meet with the rest of creative.

Meanwhile…

Paul sat in the men's locker room, obviously in deep thought that he didn't even hear his friend, the Nature Boy Ric Flair enter.

"Woooo!" Ric surprised Paul, seeing that Paul was indeed there physically, but his mind was elsewhere.

"What?" Paul snapped, as a result of the unexpected greeting from Ric.

"Woah! I'm sorry, man… just saw you were a little out. Didn't mean to cause any commotion or war."

Realizing his mistake, Paul replied: "I'm sorry, too.."

"You seem to be a little out, what's going on? What's our problem?"

"Nothing… It's just that…" Paul was thinking twice whether to tell his friend, and decided to continue. "It's just that, Steph has been a little out today. She isn't her normal self. She hasn't spoken to me, at least decently. She says it's lack of sleep and coffee but I don't buy that. I can't figure out what's wrong with her. Ain't I supposed to since I'm her husband?"

"Hey, don't worry much, man. It may be just one of those days. You know how women are… woooo! They have mood swings. They feel happy now, and a minute later, they're down. Then the minute after that, they're okay again. Or maybe, it's just that time of the month? Or… much better… maybe Aurora's about to become a big sister, huh? Way to go man!" Ric replied jokingly while lightly punching Paul in the arm.

"Haha… no way man. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. At this time, one is enough. Yeah, maybe it's just one of those days…" Paul was not fully convinced, but at least he had to do something to take his mind off of the issue with Steph. He had a main event match tonight, and if he isn't himself in the ring, someone might get hurt.

"Come on, man! Let's get something to eat. I'm hungry. Haven't eaten yet since this morning. And I think some of the guys are there." invited Ric.

"Yeah, let's go."

With the help of the guys— Randy Orton, John Cena and Ric Flair among others, Paul was slowly becoming fine. On the other hand, Steph was still not okay.

What is wrong with Steph?


	2. Then Marissa

CHAPTER 2: Then Marissa…

Shane McMahon was driving to the arena for tonight's show. With him in the car is his family. His wife of ten years, Marissa, was sitting beside him, carrying their almost six-month-old boy Kenyon who was sleeping peacefully, and seated in the back of the car was their two-year-old first born, Declan. This was the first time that they would all be at a pay-per-view together, and how fitting is it that Shane was involved in a match—in the main event, and it was Hell in a Cell.

Shane has noticed that his wife hasn't spoken more than three words for every question he asked or comment he made, since this morning. This was freaking him out. His wife was a patient woman, a very nice person, and if she was mad or was pissed at something or someone, she'll rather not say anything and just stare out the window, afraid to say or do anything she might regret later on. That is exactly what she's doing now.

"She isn't mad, is she? She can't be… what in the hell have I done? Or what in the hell happened today?" Shane thought and tried to recall the events this morning.

-Flashback-

When Shane woke up this morning, Marissa was already awake. This was nothing unusual, but what was different was her mood. When Shane kissed her and greeted her "Good morning", she replied with a monotonous voice. There was no glow in her eyes, and her face was pale. Normally, she would be cheerful and excited, but today, things were a bit different.

"Hey, baby, is there something wrong?"

"No… why?"

"You don't look fine."

"I'm okay…"

"You sure? Seriously, you look pale and down today. If you're not okay, you can stay here if you want. Get some rest and quiet. There's just much commotion in the arena, you know… Then I'll call you as much as possible to check up on you."

"I'm fine… really…" She then proceeded to the comfort room to prepare for the day. She also proceeded to prepare the things that the kids will need.

Marissa was that way the whole time… barely speaking a word and was caught up in her own thoughts.

-End of Flashback-

"Ahhh!" Shane was screaming in his mind. He can't wait to get to the arena to talk to his sister. Maybe she knew something. Afterall, Steph and Rissa had been best friends even before Shane and Rissa got married, that they already were like twins. They dressed alike, talked alike and when together, were inseparable. Their closeness drove Shane crazy, at times, that it was as if he knew Steph because she was his wife's best friend, and not because she was her sister.

Upon arrival at the arena, they proceeded to their own locker room and Shane went in search of her sister, who was already in a meeting with her dad and creative. He had to be there as well, and try to pitch in whatever ideas he had. But before he left, he had to properly say goodbye to his family.

"Hey kiddo, dad's going to find Aunt Steph and grandpa, okay? So you stay here and be a good boy. Take care of mommy, and your little brother. Grandma might come in a little later. So be nice… no running around, no making a mess. Got that?" Shane was talking to Declan and ruffled the little boy's hair.

"Aye, aye, sir!" the kid replied doing a playful salute.

Then Shane turned to his wife. At this point, she was preparing little Kenyon's things, making sure he would be comfortable in this environment for the next 6 hours or so.

"Hey, um… I got to go meet with Steph, dad and creative. You sure you'll be fine here?"

She nodded and gave a small half-smile. "I'll be fine."

"Okay then. If something goes wrong, tell Declan to go and tell whomever… or to have someone go get me. Just stay here and take a rest. Just chill and relax. You really, really sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah…"

He gave her a peck on the cheek and left the room to attend the meeting. He was still bothered by Rissa's actions. Could Steph probably have any clue on what was wrong with her? He truly hoped so. He had to know, before he goes completely insane. He made his way quickly to the conference room.

First it was Steph, now it's Rissa! What is seriously going on?


	3. Now, Rebecca

CHAPTER 3: Now, Rebecca…

Michael Shawn Hickenbottom or more popularly and more acceptably known to the world as Shawn Michaels hasn't slept much because last night, his son Cameron, who had taken an overdose of sugar, decided that sleep time was playtime. Cameron made Shawn stay up the whole night, to watch movies and eat cookies with him. Shawn let his wife Rebecca sleep during that time, because it was she who has put up with Cameron for the past 3 nights and for the many, many nights he wasn't around. And even if he had a main event Hell in a Cell match that Sunday, Shawn didn't really mind. Afterall, he could only spend a little amount of time with his kids. He was just a little bit worried (jokingly) of what the cookies might do to his body.

So it was 5:00 pm, and Shawn and his family have just arrived at the arena. Shawn was a little bit sleepy and would easily snap at anyone whom he found irritating, even to the slightest bit. They went straight to his personal locker room to settle down and suddenly noticed that Rebecca, his wife, grew extra quiet. He felt a slight feeling of guilt.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Look, I know I look as if I'm hard to talk to, and that I'll blow off on anyone, but I promise that I won't blow off on you. So, don't worry, you can still talk to me. You should know by now, that I can't be mad at you and that whenever it's you who's talking, I still listen, even if I'm asleep. So you sure there's nothing wrong? I didn't mean to scare you." Shawn assured Rebecca, who was carrying a sleeping Cheyenne, while Cameron was hopping around the room.

"No, no, it's not that. I understand you. It's not about that."

"So, what is it about then?"

"It's just that… that… never mind…"

"What? Baby, come on, tell me… I won't react weirdly, I promise…"

"Nothing… I'm fine. Look, it's already five. Aren't you supposed to be meeting with Paul or whomever to discuss your match tonight?"

"Oh yeah! Almost forgot about that… I heard he's in catering. You wanna stay here or you wanna come with me?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just stay here with the kids. Cheyenne's asleep. She might wake up and no one's gonna be around. And that little boy over there… (points to Cameron) has to get some rest, too." This was Rebecca's reply. And it was narrated in a not so happy and lively tone.

"Okay… you sure? You want anything? What could I get you?"

"No, no… I seriously am okay. So go ahead. We'll all be fine."

"If you say so…" Shawn then gave his wife and his kids a kiss each, and went straight to catering. He had to talk to someone about the weirdness of his wife today. He just couldn't put a finger on what was different with her. But he knew that he must do something, quick. And what better way to release his feelings than through his long time best friend, Paul Levesque.

So, it's Steph and Rissa. Now, add Rebecca.


	4. Understanding Why

CHAPTER 4: Understanding Why…

Shane has been observing Steph for the past 15 minutes or so and figured that she was not her usual self. She was obviously not paying as much attention as she's supposed to, considering she was the head of creative! She was not reacting to whatever anyone said, and when being asked, she needed to be called more than twice, and the question had to be repeated more than once.

"What the! First it was Rissa, now it's Steph! What in the blue hell is friggin going on! What's with today! As far as I'm concerned, they don't have their periods now. They have it at the same time, and Rissa had hers a week ago! So what is going on!" Shane thought to himself. He too, couldn't concentrate much, with what was going on with Marissa, and now, with how Steph has been reacting. How was he supposed to ask Steph what's wrong with Rissa when it was obvious that there was also something wrong with Steph?

When Shawn reached catering, he quickly spotted Paul, and he was not alone. He was hanging out with John Cena, Randy Orton and Ric Flair, and seemed to be in high spirits. At least, his best friend was okay, because he surely wasn't.

"Yo, Shawn!" John called him over.

The other three turned to see the Showstopper. He seemed to be in a not so good mood.

"Hey man, what's up? What's wrong?" Paul knew his friend all too well.

"Just came by to get you… gotta go discuss our match… don't wanna mess anything up… more so, don't wanna kill anybody…" Shawn didn't feel like sharing his problem with the others. Much more to two wife-free young rookies, who won't really understand.

Sensing that there was more than Shawn wanting the match to be discussed, Paul excused himself from the group, and with Shawn saying hi and bye to the rest at the same time, the two left.

The duo went to an empty area—specifically the parking lot—to discuss matters. The lot was a usual hang out place for them, especially when they just wanted solace and wanted to be alone. No one was there, and they would have some privacy.

"Okay, we're alone. Spill." Paul didn't want to pressure his friend, he was just trying to lighten up the mood, and usually, this is how they do it.

"Look, I don't really mean to trouble you with this, seeing that I'm married for a longer time than you are but… I'm just bothered by the way Rebecca is acting. I mean, I'm all sleepy and snappy today… didn't get much sleep cause of the big kid, so you know… you know how I am when I'm like that. Then, coming here, I just noticed she was extremely quiet: that she didn't speak much and that there was something wrong. I just couldn't put my finger on what's wrong… but I know something's not right! I know this seems a little light and shallow, but for some reason, I'm anxious about this whole thing. And I'm scared that if this doesn't go away, something not right might happen out there in the ring, tonight. I don't wanna kill your brother or father-in-law! Oh goodness! Am I blabbing too much? I don't even think you understood a word I said…" Shawn too, was starting to act weird, speaking in an extremely fast speed.

"Whoa man! Calm down! Did you even breathe? Look, this is gonna sound freaky… but Steph has been that way, too, today. She doesn't speak much and isn't paying attention to things she's supposed to pay attention to. I'm not exactly sure how she is right now in whatever office they're having the meeting…"

"What? This is just some co-incidence, right? They are not playing a joke on us, aren't they?" Steph and Rebecca may not be that close, but they are good friends. It's no surprise that they are, seeing that their respective husbands are closer than brothers.

"They better not be…" Paul was thinking of the same thing, as well.

"Oh goodness! I'm slightly hoping that they are… at least there's nothing wrong… I don't want to push her much… more of like waiting for her to tell me herself without me pressuring her." This was Shawn's reply, still semi-worried.

They really were indeed like brothers. Paul was thinking of that same thing inside the bus. But now, he knew they still had to discuss their match for tonight. Despite the crisis they both are facing, they had to act like professionals and forget about their problems for the meantime.

"Look man, I know there's much on our shoulders now… but we have to set these aside for a while. We have a match tonight to discuss, and it's not an easy match. It's a bit complicated, seeing that we, the greatest superstars in the business today, are stuck inside a cell with 2 fuckin sons-of-a-bitch who will have their very first hell-in-a-cell match, and a big damn fat guy who's just scary to get in the ring with. We may be the best, but when your opponents are the worse, we have to come up with something special. Now what ya think?"

The two then started to discuss the match for the night, coming up with magnificent ideas, hoping that it would indeed be the match of the night.

Before they knew it, it was already 6, and it was time for dinner. They were having an early dinner, for whatever reason. And when they reached catering, a lot of the guys were already there.

The two got their food, took a seat, and soon, were joined by Shane-O-Mac. Shane felt that Paul had a clue on what was up with Steph, and wanted to know immediately, because he still felt that she was the key in unlocking the mystery of Rissa's actions.

"Hey, what in the blue hell did you do to Steph! There's obviously something going on with her and she's just out of it today. Did you two fight or something?" Shane was too aggressive, and this somehow surprised Paul and Shawn.

"What's with you!" Paul shot back. He definitely didn't like the way Shane approached them.

Shane grabbed Paul by the collar, "I swear, if you did something to hurt her, I'll freakin kill you. Seeing that we have a match tonight, I tell you, even if I'm not trained well enough to wrestle, I still am capable of killing someone… especially when it's someone hurting my sister!"

Paul was mad, too, but fortunately, he just replied with: "What's it to you?"

Shawn finally decided to step in between the two, before anything else happened. "Guys, guys! Hey! This won't help anything… so just break it! If Vince finds out about this, you'll both be in deep shit! And Lord knows what could possibly happen to the both of you… you may be family, but you still fall under employee! So just stop it!"

Cooler heads soon prevailed, and the two broke up when Shane released Paul. Shane was the first to apologize, realizing that he didn't have to jump to conclusions.

"I'm sorry man… It's just that, you know how I hate it to see my sister suffering. And, by the looks of it, she won't be coming down for dinner. I have no idea why she's gonna stay up there, when it's obvious that she can't work properly. So, you were the first reason that entered my mind… I'm sorry."

"That's cool, bro… I get you. Just tone it down a little bit, you're causing more harm than good. And to answer your suspicions, no, we're not fighting. Or at least, I'm not aware that we are. She's been that way since this morning, and I don't know what's going on either."

"It's just that… I was actually hoping to talk to her, to try and see if she knew what was going on with Rissa. But it seems that they're on the same boat. So I don't know anymore."

"What's wrong with Rissa?" Shawn chimed in.

"She's just like Steph, all gloomy and down and lost. Take this… she hasn't spoken more than three words for every question I ask or sentence I say. It's always "I'm fine." , "Yeah.", "I'm okay.", "I'll be fine.", "Nothing…"… it's killing me! She's only like that when she's extremely mad or pissed, which happens very, very, very rarely. You know how she is. I don't know if I did something."

"Man, you wouldn't believe this… but the same can be said not only for your sister, but also my wife."

"You mean, Rebecca is also acting strange today? You don't think they're playing a huge prank on us, do you?"

"Uhm… I don't know… honestly, we're (pointing to Paul and himself) kinda hoping that they are… at least there's nothing wrong going on. But at the same time, there's something inside of me that's telling me that they're not."

"Oh god!"

"What's wrong? Who's playing a joke on who?" It was Vince, who overheard the last part of their conversation. He decided to sit with them as well, with thoughts of them discussing their match for the night.

"Nothing…" the three replied in unison.

"Oh come on, don't do this to me! First it was Steph, now it's the three of you! I swear, if I hear that word again tonight, I'm gonna go insane! So please, would you honestly tell me why the three of you look problematic and are also bothered by something?"

Since he considered his dad to be his best friend, Shane decided to tell Vince what was going on. He figured, the two others won't mind seeing that Paul's wife was Vince's daughter and Shawn was like a son to him already.

"You don't think they're conniving up on us and trying to pull the lamest prank ever, right?" Shawn asked. He still partly wished that this was just part of a big joke.

"Even if it seems that they are, seeing that they are friends and are "co-incidentally" acting the same way, at the same time, trust me, they aren't. You would really wish they were though. I just have a question for all three of you... Have you already talked to your wives about what's gonna happen tonight?"

The three looked dumbfounded and wondered what Vince met.

After seeing the three's reaction and releasing a small chuckle, Vince continued, "Look, tonight's match is big. It's Hell in a Cell. The both of you (pointing to Shawn and Paul), as superstars who have been there before, should know that, while you (pointing to Shane), as a person who has grown up in this business, should know that as well. It's not your usual, typical match. It's more dangerous. It's scarier. It's a whole new level. The stakes are pretty much higher. And you should also know by now, that when it comes to the-most-worried-wives-when-their-husbands-are-out-in-the-ring, the three of you are married to those who occupy spot numbers 1, 2 and 3. Oh by the way, yours (points to Shane) owns the first."

"And what you're trying to say is…"

"That you should probably have talked to your girls first before this day came. You know why they aren't talking much and are in deep thought? Maybe it's because they're freaking out inside. They are still somehow hoping that this match wouldn't push through, which it will, and are so worried about how you would all turn out to be after the match ends. (talking to Paul and Shawn) This may not be your first time there, and you may be regulars in the ring seeing that you compete 4 times a week, but it's the first serious, heavy match you're going to been into since Aurora and Cheyenne came along. (talking to Shane) You, on the other hand, aren't involved much in the ring. So every time you're out there, Rissa's freakin' out and her heart stops, especially with what you do. How do you think she feels that this would be the first time that you'll be inside that cell! And add to that the fact that you have two boys, of whom the younger is only half a year old… I know you all love this business so much, but there is always something more than this business. Take it from me, I should know… every time you're out there performing, you may have the time of your life, but there are people backstage who are about to have a heart attack. You may forget about all your problems when you're in the ring, but you should not forget that you also have family. You have your wives, and now, kids. How would they continue living if something happens to you out there?... Now, you seem to still have time to talk to them before the match tonight, but in the meantime, (sees Paul Wight (Big Show) coming) let's talk about this freakin' match. We want it to be spectacular, but moreso, we don't want anyone hurt especially our dearest wives."

After Vince's speech and upon Big Show's arrival, the five then proceeded to discuss their match. Paul, Shawn and Shane realized that Vince did indeed made sense, (but still wondered how in the world he knew that) and decided to put the matter at the back part of their brains for the meantime, and be the consummate professionals that they are.

At least, they were getting somewhere…


	5. The First to Know

CHAPTER 5: The First to Know…

By the time they finished their discussion, there was only 30 minutes left before the show started. So, Vince had to go do the rounds, to check-up on everyone and make sure everything was set for tonight's show. Big Show left the group as well, and headed back to the locker room. Paul, Shawn and Shane were now left alone, and were talking about what to do before they went their separate ways, in hopes of fulfilling their respective "missions".

"So, good luck to the three of us?"

"And may we all live happily, ever after."

"Shall we?" Then, they all left.

Shawn proceeded to his locker room and found Rebecca seated on the couch while carrying a still sleeping Cheyenne. Cameron was watching cartoons.

"Hey, I'm back. Sorry it took too long… you know how it is when Paul and I are together. And then Vince came along and you know how he is…"

"It's okay…" Rebecca still had that same tone of voice she had earlier, which meant that she still wasn't fine.

"Uh, I brought you food, since you didn't go down… figured that you might get hungry…" There was obviously an attempt by Shawn to get that conversation going.

"Ah, okay, thanks…"

"Food!" Cameron was easily attracted to anything which was related to food! He ran to the table where his father set the food and proceeded to open the container, then eventually eating up its contents.

After being amazed by his son's reaction, Shawn said, "I'll just get you something else later, because I should have not forgotten that with this kid around, our demand and need for food increases twice as much!"

"No, it's okay… I'm not hungry anyway…"

Then, a sudden knock came to the door. After he was given the permission to enter, Randy opened the door and handed a sheet of paper to Shawn. He said it was something from Vince, so he figured maybe it was the script. Shawn took the paper and quickly thought of an idea on how he would finally be able to talk to his wife, alone. Randy, at that moment, was an angel to Shawn.

"Hey man, thanks!" He said while receiving the paper from Randy. "Oh, do you mind… I was kinda hoping to talk to my wife… alone… and with Cameron here, that won't be possible. So, is it okay for you to take Cameron for a while, while we talk about something really important?"

"No problem, man!" replied Randy. Then he turned his attention to the boy who was happily munching on his dinner. He has already consumed half of it! "Hey kiddo! You wanna come play with Uncle Randy for a while? Let's go hang around and get much more to eat. Those noodles suck when compared to lollipops and ice cream!"

Although Cameron was big on food, play and fun was still number one. And what better way to have fun than to have it with his third favorite wrestler (second was Uncle Paul and of course, dad was first!). So he agreed to it and with him on a piggyback ride on Randy, Randy said bye to the couple and left with the now super hyperactive Cameron.

"So, what do you have in mind?" Rebecca asked while putting Cheyenne down. She knew this was something serious and Shawn needed her full attention.

Shawn motioned for them to sit down and reached for both of Rebecca's hands. He held them while relaying to her the message he had wanted to tell her ever since this afternoon. "Uhm, I… I have noticed that you're acting real strange this day… and it seems that there's something you wanna tell me, but aren't. You were about to say it this afternoon, then decided not to. I didn't wanna push you, so I just let it go. Now, you're still acting that way and you're worrying me. I know there's something bothering you, and I wanna know what it is. Could you just please tell me what it is, that I could try my very best to help you. I want to be assured that you're fine before I go out there tonight." Shawn spoke in a very gentle manner.

"Nothing's wrong with me, I'm fine…"

Though she said she was okay, Shawn observed that she couldn't look at him straight and could feel that Rebecca was shaking. And this worried him even more.

"It is obvious that there's something not right with you and that you're worried about something too. Is it about the match tonight?" Shawn couldn't hold on any longer and decided to direct the conversation to what he thought was the main reason why she was acting this way.

Rebecca didn't react, and just put her head down. Shawn took her silence as an answer of "yes".

Shawn then held and lifted up Rebecca's chin, so she was facing him now. "Look, I know you worry, okay… I understand that. But I assure you that I'm going to be just fine. How can I not be? This is not my first time going in there, being in that match. I know what to do and what not to do." Shawn was trying his very best to make her worries go away. And attempting to lighten up the mood and make her smile, he joked: "Plus, Paul is gonna be there, too. You know how much he loves me; he won't let anything happen to me. Ask him to choose between Vince and me, he's gonna pick me! And to add to that, have you forgotten that I'm Superman! I'm the Showstopper… and I'm the best professional wrestler alive today!"

"Yeah, and also the proudest… have you forgotten to take some humility pills today?" Rebecca joked back, after she gave him a small smile.

"I may be proud, but at least… I'm honest. And honesty… is the best policy!"

Realizing that Rebecca seemed to have felt a bit better now, Shawn turned back to serious mode. And holding her in his arms, he said: "Hey, I'm sorry for not talking to you about this sooner… or before this day even came. I know that forgetting about it is not an excuse… and honestly, it just didn't cross my mind. I never thought that you'd react this way because of the match, and didn't even realize it up until a while ago, when we were discussing this matter with Vince. So again, I'm sorry… and I promise, I will be extra careful. And I will have you in mind when I go out there tonight and bring the house down."

"I'm sorry, too. I know I'm over reacting… but I'm just worried. You know, you have a history with your back, and every time you get involved in this kind of match, I'm scared that what happened to you 8 years ago would happen again. I can't handle that. I don't want seeing you in pain. Much more, if something worse happens to you, and that is not impossible, I can't take raising the kids alone. They need you. And so do I…" At this time, tears were threatening to fall from her eyes.

But before they did, Shawn wiped them away. Calming her down, he replied: "You'll never lose me. I'll never leave you… and about the injury, have faith! It's all better now. Remember when they told me back then I couldn't wrestle anymore? And here I am, ready to tear the house down and teach my boss, that messing with me wasn't the smartest thing to do. Just believe… and I'll be okay. Screw my back. It feels like I never had a back injury. And always remember, I'm His favorite, so He's gonna be there with me tonight, protecting me. See, afterall, this is not a handicap match. It's 3-on-3 with the Lord Jesus, as our tag team partner."

Turning to him, Rebecca said: "I love you…"

"And I love you, too. Now, no more worries from you… because at this moment, it should be the McMahon's and the Big Show who are." Shawn said cockily, with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, they really should."

The couple then had a short but sweet and meaningful kiss, with Shawn hoping that Rebecca was already indeed fine.

Now that Shawn has successfully fulfilled his mission, how did the other two do? What was really going on with Stephanie and Marissa?


	6. Because of a Dream

CHAPTER 6: Because of a Dream…

While walking to his locker room, Shane thought of the best way to approach his wife with regards to the matter. He didn't want to talk to her with their kids around—they might think something bad was going on. But how could he kick his kids out and who would be watching over them? Then, by some co-incidence, he spotted his mom, Linda.

"Mom!" he said while running to her.

"Hey, sweetheart. You seem so happy to see me!" Linda joked.

"Of course! Where've you been?"

"Just came from the conference room, talked to your sister… and you? Why do you look as if you need something from me?"

"Uh… yeah… I actually do… uh… would you mind watching over the kids for a while? I need to talk to Rissa about something… and I don't think having the kids in there would be good."

"Oh… ok! No problem! Anything for the grandkids. But, is there something wrong? You guys having problems or something?" Linda was definitely concerned for his son. Afterall, Shane was a certified momma's boy.

"Uhm… not really… just some little thing we need to discuss and clear out." Shane didn't feel like sharing their "marital problem" with anyone anymore. It would be better if only a few people knew about it. Less people means less chaos. It's not as if he didn't trust his mother.

"Okay... if you say so…"

When they reached the locker room, Declan was watching some cartoons while Kenyon seemed to be watching, too. On the other hand, Marissa was staring out in space, unaware that Shane and Linda had already come in.

"Grandma!" Declan ran to his favorite grandmother, who just came to see him an hour ago.

"Hey, boy!" said Linda while picking up the boy. Kenyon, too was fussing around, making noise as an expression of delight as he recognized his grandma.

"Nice to know they love their grandmother more than their own father…" Shane muttered jokingly.

This was when Rissa realized that her husband and mother-in-law were already in the room.

"Oh, hi!"

Linda smiled at her and somehow had a clue about what Shane was talking about. Yeah, Rissa looked different tonight.

"Hey, sorry it took me so long… things around here have just been weird… uh, I… I brought you food. How are you feeling now?" Shane too was quite unsure how to act.

"I'm… I'm, okay… Did you bring the boys food, too?" Surprisingly, that was a ten-worded reply from Marissa, but again… there's still that monotonous "I'm okay" reply.

"I'll just be the one to go get them food. I'm sure they have been dying to get out of this room since you came in 2 and a half hours ago. Right, boys?" Linda knew that Shane wanted to talk to Rissa as soon as possible.

Jumping up and down, Declan replied: "Yeah!"

So Linda went to pick up Kenyon, and escorted the two boys out of the room, leaving the couple with some privacy.

"So, how've you been? Did the boys cause too much trouble?"

"No, they're fine." Here we go again with the no-more-than-three-words-per-reply scenario.

"Okay… uhm… look, I… I… I have something to tell you. I've wanted to talk to you for the past few hours because… you see; I've observed that you've been acting different all day. You've been this way since this morning. And to be honest with you, I just thought that you were not feeling well. So I let it go, but was still worried. But while in the car, driving here, you never spoke a word. I thought you were mad or pissed at something and recalled today's events trying to figure out what I did wrong. Up to this moment, you still don't look okay. You keep saying you're fine, but it's obvious and I'm a hundred and one percent sure that you're not completely okay. You're worrying me, but that's just okay, so as long you tell me what's wrong. Baby, I want you to be honest to me, too. Just please, I'm begging you, tell me what's wrong… is it about tonight? Or is there something else? Did someone do something to you? Or did something happen to someone from your family? Baby, please… I want to be ale to protect you from whatever that's bothering you…"

At this point, Marissa was already in tears. The emotions she has been feeling for the whole day have piled up, and she couldn't hold them anymore. She burst into tears and was crying uncontrollably, which worried Shane even more.

He pulled her into a hug, whispering soothing words to her and held her for the next few minutes until she was able to calm down. After things have toned down a bit, Rissa decided to finally tell Shane what was going on. Afterall, honesty was a vital factor in any relationship. And for their relationship to reach ten sets of ten years more, they both had to practice honesty with each other.

"I… I… I… was… sniff up early this morning… because… sniff I… I… had a dream… and it… it… involved you… and tonight. I… I've been thinking about it all day… and… and… it's been freaking me out… Uh… I was… sitting in the front row… with… the two kids… and… and… we were watching… and… then… in the middle… sniff of… of the match… sniff all five of you were… were up in the cell… and… by some incident… when… when Shawn sniff super kicked you… sniff he didn't see and… sniff was not aware… sniff that you were near the edge of the cell… and… and… sniff and… you fell straight from… from the cell… through the announce table… to… to… to the… sniff the concrete floor. When… when they checked… when they checked up on you… sniff you… you… you were already… … … and Declan asked me… how you were… and what happened to… to you… I… I didn't know what… sniff what to… say… I'm… I'm just scared… that… that… that will happen… sniff tonight… I can't… I can't take that… no, I may be… I may be a great mom… sniff but… I… I can't do it alone…" At this point, Marissa broke down and Shane pulled her once again into a hug. This time, the hug was a tighter one, as Shane felt Rissa's pain. She was shaking and it was obvious she was freaking out. By this time, Shane had realized that that dream could've been provoked by his past… how he has been performing in the ring, whenever he was given the chance to. His dad was right: every time he's out there, he doesn't think of anything else. And while his enjoying the adrenaline rush, his wife is backstage, worried, scared, freaked, confused to death. He realized that he had to tone down, and his parents' warnings to him regarding his daredevil-ness were to be taken seriously. He loved the fans, but he loved his family more. And he was not going to allow anything to happen to them.

Stroking her hair, Shane was trying his best to comfort Marissa. "Baby, it was just a dream. It was just a dream, okay? It's not gonna come true. Dreams are just dreams. I know that that might have been caused by my ultimate risk-taking performances in the past, and I promise you, that tonight, I'll be careful. I've not been thinking every time I'm out there in the past, but starting tonight, I'll have you in mind. I'll remember you and the kids and am to make sure that nothing bad is gonna happen to me. I assure you, after tonight, I'll come out fine. I'm gonna go out and give my all because of the fans, but I'll leave a part of me with you. Know that when I'm out there, I have you in mind. I promise, I'll think first before I do anything. So, calm down, baby, I'm gonna be fine. We're all gonna be fine." With this said, Shane kissed the side of her head, and they just lay that way for the next few minutes. With him, Rissa felt secure.

Then, their silence was disturbed by a knock on the door. After given permission to enter by Shane, Linda emerged with the two kids who seemed to be contented with cookies and ice cream in hand.

"Mommy!" Both of the kids took after their dad, they were close with him, but were certified momma's boys.

"Uh, sorry to disturb you guys, but Shane, your father's been looking for you. He needs you for something. I think something about production… so…" Linda felt bad that she had to cut whatever the two were doing short.

"Ah okay… thanks!"

"Mommy crying?" Declan pouted and asked, finally noticing that his mother's eyes were watery and her cheeks were red.

"No, no, baby. Mommy's fine. Just a little sleepy and I missed you." There was no way the kids would know about what's going on. "Have you been good while with grandma?"

"Yeah! Right grandma? Silly mommy…"

Giggling softly, Linda replied "Yeah right…"

"Uh, hey, I gotta go… don't wanna keep the old man waiting. He might get pissed, and he might kill me before the match even begins…"

"He sure will!" At this time, at least Rissa was laughing already.

"So, you'll be okay already, right? And you're just not saying this to keep me from worrying and bugging you?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm already fine. Promise! Now go, if he kills you, I won't even react! Go!"

"Fine, fine… nice to know that my own kids don't love me and my wife hates me, too! What a great damn feeling! Ain't I lucky?"

"Whatever! Bye!"

"Bye dad!"

"Come on mom, let's go! Hmph!" Then he stuck his tongue out on his family. Walking out, he just had to scream back: "Love ya!"

"Love ya too!"

"Mom, thanks!"

"No problem! Now let's get going before Vince Mcmahon becomes Mr. McMahon."

So, Rissa was freaking out because of a dream. And, "a dream is only a dream", right?


	7. Will Not Tell

CHAPTER 7: Will Not Tell…

"So will it be okay to leave you now? I think your dad's been looking for me… and is wondering what's with all these "secret meetings" we've been having lately."

"Yes, Mom… thanks! Thanks a lot." Steph then proceeded to hug her mom tightly. She was really, really scared and only her mom and Rissa knew the reason why.

"Okay then, I'll see ya later…" Then, Linda left the conference room; leaving Steph in thoughts and in that same sad mood she has been feeling all day. Actually, it was worse. She began to cry.

A minute later, Paul knocked on the door and came in. He saw Steph in that miserable condition, and immediately ran to her side.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" If Paul hasn't freaked out yet with the events that have been going on today, he sure was in a state of mental panic now.

"No-Nothing…" Steph immediately wiped away her tears, to not further worry Paul.

He gently took her hands into his, and decided that he would make her tell him what has been inside that head of hers that has made her act weird all day and cry now.

"Steph," he spoke slowly, trying to make sure he wouldn't scare her and worsen her condition anymore. "Please… I'm asking you to please tell me… tell me what is going on with you. Is there something wrong? Is there someone who has hurt you? Did someone do something to you? What! Come on baby, just please tell me…"

"Nothing, I'm fine… I'm really really fine."

"If you're fine, then why are you in tears! If you're okay, why is it that you seem to be out of yourself the whole day? If you're alright, then wy do you seem to be avoiding me? If nothing's wrong, then why have you been hard to talk to for the past 24 hours!" For some reason, Paul was being a little aggressive. Maybe it was because of extreme emotion too, that he felt pressured and that he failed. He failed in being that great husband to her because he can't protect her from whatever was bothering her. He should be able to make her problems go away, and he should be able to chase those fears away and make sure they never come back. Triple H could make any person run for his life, but Paul Michael Levesque felt helpless that he can't seem to help his dearest wife with whatever was eating her up. He, too, was confused and she wouldn't let him in.

"I am okay. I gotta go, the show starts in 20 minutes" She then stood up and started to leave but Paul stopped her midway by holding her arm.

"Steph, wait! I'm sorry… I didn't mean to snap…" And in a much gentler and seemingly begging voice, he continued: "just please… you're worrying and scaring me… just please tell me what's going on…" He was about to surrender, but he couldn't and he won't. he is not a quitter, and he has to know what's going on with her!

"I… really… am… fine… I really have to go…"

With that said, she quickly made her way to the door and before Paul knew it, she was gone. She made sure that she could still hold herself and not break the news to him. There was no way in hell that she would tell him what's going on. There was no chance in hell that he would find out what was wrong.

Once she reached outside, she leaned on the door and broke down. She wanted to tell him, but she just didn't want him to worry. She loved him too much, and she didn't want him in pain in any form.

Something was seriously wrong with Steph, and Paul was still determined to find out what it was. What is with Steph that would hurt Paul so much?


	8. The Show Must Go On

CHAPTER 8: The Show Must Go On…

Both Shawn and Shane stayed with their respective families up until they were needed for their match. Shane was back as soon as he had finished whatever it was that Vince wanted him to do. On the other hand, Paul locked himself in his locker room. He didn't want any visitors, he didn't want to see or talk to anyone. He wanted to be alone, to be able to think. Moreover, he didn't wanna see Steph, because it would remind him once again of his shortcomings, that he is still clueless as to what was wrong with her. Also, he didn't wanna see her suffering, and with his knowledge, he knew that at this moment, wherever she is, Steph may try to act normal, but it is still obvious to anyone that she wasn't the same.

Then, 10 minutes before the final match of the night, Shawn got his call from the stagehand.

Knock, knock.

"Yeah?"

"You're out in 10 minutes. Vince wants you out now."

"Got that!"

So Shawn, together with his family left the locker room. They would be watching at the front row and would be there to witness the match first hand. Shawn may not allow his kids to watch wrestling in general, but tonight, things were different. The day was indeed surreal.

---

When Shane got his call from the stage guy, he decided that his family would just stay backstage. This would give Rissa a sense of comfort, and Shane did his very best to twist the facts from how her dream went. Marissa agreed, so she along with the kids accompanied Shane out of the locker room, but they would stay behind as he goes out to do business.

---

When Paul received that knock on the door, he was surprised. He was so lost in his thoughts that he was no longer aware of the time. Nonetheless, he left his room, and prepared for the match. He had to do this no matter what; this is what was expected from them. He may be the boss's son-in-law, but he doesn't get special treatment.

---

Upon reaching the gorilla position, the three met up and discussed how each one's mission went.

"Because of my past… just scared…"

"Because of a dream… scared too…"

"I don't know…"

"What?" Both Shawn and Shane didn't expect that Paul wouldn't be able to find out what was going on with Steph.

"I don't know… she won't tell me! And by the looks of it, she is actually avoiding me! There's really something serious that she's keeping from me, and I made her tell me what it was. Again, she gave me that "I'm fine" reply, and before I knew it, she was gone! Let's turn things around shall we… (talking to Shane) Do you think your wife has a clue on what's going on with my wife? Cause I swear, I'm this close to exploding and getting insane!"

Then, Vince who came with the Big Show interrupted them. "Okay boys, here we go. We're on in 3… remember what we discussed, and we'll all be fine. Nothing to worry about, we're all gonna turn out okay. Now let's get this thing going."

"Here goes nothing… I swear, I could accidentally kill someone…" Paul thought, knowing that with whatever was going on, the show must still go on.

With Paul not in the proper state of mind, how would the match go? Would he be able to overcome all these obstacles and forget about them even for just a few minutes?


	9. Dream Come True

CHAPTER 9: Dream Come True…

When all of the five competitors had left for their match, Rissa and Steph both tried to settle down, with Rissa just hanging around backstage while Declan was somewhere watching and playing with Randy Orton and Kenyon was playing with John Cena. Steph was in the same line of table as the rest of creative. The match may include her husband, father and brother, but she still had to work. There were no exemptions; she may be family, but she was still employee.

Having observed that Steph was acting a little weirder than normal and usual, Marissa sensed that something happened. Seeing that her eyes were still a little puffy and her make-up was a little messed up, Rissa then kept glancing at Steph, continuously sending her the "Are you okay?" look. With the kind of friendship they had, words were not always necessary. Sometimes, it was just a matter of one look. And the connection was there. Stephanie kept replying that questioning look with a smile, that to Rissa was actually forced. Marissa knew what was really wrong with her, but was not sure if it was the same thing that caused the tears in her eyes. So she decided that she would talk to her best friend later, and for the meantime just focus on the match on hand. But she never failed to keep looking back at Steph, making sure that if she wasn't completely fine, at least she was still alive.

Being the first ever handicap Hell-in-a-Cell match in history, the match did meet the people's expectations. The newly made cell served as a weapon for both teams to each other, and it really showed no mercy. With what DX has done to him, Mr. McMahon (and his son Shane) is determined to make his point clear and send his message across to the so called degenerates (and to their fans—the whole wide world) that nobody, messes with wrestling's royal family. Nobody can beat the McMahons. On the other hand, DX was determined to give the McMahon's a taste of their own medicine, with everything they have done to everyone. They've made other people's lives hell, and enjoyed every minute of it. DX has got two words for the McMahon's each and every week, but tonight, there will be no more words, just actions, and the actions will be more than just two. The duo is out to show Mr. McMahon that his sins will forever be unforgiven.

Midway through the match, all five men were already bleeding. They have all ate steel, and worse, the McMahon's became victims of Triple H's sledgehammer. With a win already at their reach, DX decided that the suffering they have put their opponents through was not yet enough. They were not only fighting for themselves, they were fighting for everyone that Mr. McMahon has screwed over the years. And yes, that may even include Bret Hart. And with continuous ramming of Mr. McMahon's body into a specific area of the cell, it was no surprise that the cell broke, and was now opened. Things would only get worse.

Rebecca was sitting front row with Cameron and Cheyenne, and could not take much of what she was seeing. Worry still wouldn't go away, but she just guessed it was normal. Whenever Shawn was out there, she worried. "It's just a wife thing I guess," she thought. And, despite what was going on in front of her, she erased the thought of something bad happening to Shawn. He assured her that he would be fine. And he had to keep that promise.

Because the cell had already opened, the five made their way to the top of the cell. Both Triple H and Shawn Michaels knew that up there, things were a little bit more dangerous. They both had been there before, and although the steel in the past was different, the atmosphere up there was still the same. They have both caused pain on their opponents while up there, and they wanted the McMahon's and Big Show to taste that pain.

Backstage, Marissa heartbeat was fast… extremely fast. The scene that projected in front of her looked all too familiar. All of them were on top of the cell, and Shawn was setting Shane, who was near the edge of the cell, up for a super kick. Marissa was freaking out inside, "No… no… no… it can't happen… it can't be…"

Then, the next set of events shocked everyone backstage and sent the crowd into frenzy. As Shawn delivered the super kick, Shane was accidentally pushed out of the way by a can't-concentrate-well-on-the-match Triple H, causing Shawn to fall off the cage, straight to the Spanish table, and to the concrete floor. As the crowd chanted: "Holy Sh!" showing appreciation and amazement for what they've just seen, Rebecca couldn't breathe properly. She was not briefed that something like that would happen, and to her, that was not planned. Was that part of the script? Or was that an unforeseen accident? She surely hoped it was the first but her heart was telling her it was something more.

Backstage, things were chaotic. Creative was trying to debate whether what just happened was actually planned or not. Afterall, as veterans and extreme professionals, the likes of Shawn Michaels were to do everything for the entertainment of their fans. And knowing Vince McMahon, he would suggest the most outrageous things, and he didn't care, so as long the fans loved it. Nonetheless, the EMT's were already called and informed, and were to go out and check up on Shawn anytime soon.

Marissa was the one who was shocked the most. She didn't understand how it was possible for that to happen. She dreamt of it happening, but it was to Shane. So why was Shawn the one lying motionless and unconscious on the floor? She was somehow grateful Shane was safe, but she still couldn't fathom how her dream actually became a reality, but to someone else—her all-time favorite superstar.

Seeing what had just happened, Triple H was shocked and dumbfounded. He knew that that was an accident, and he was the cause of it. When he swore that he might kill someone with the kind of mentality he had during that night, he had no idea that that person might actually be his best friend. Nonetheless, he called for the Big Show to deliver him the choke slam on top of the cell, with his back meeting the unforgiving steel, and being covered for the pin. They may have lost the match, but Paul no longer cared. For now, what mattered was Shawn… and of course, Steph.

Five seconds after the conclusion of the match…

"Steph!"

Stephanie collapsed.

Can things get any worse?


	10. Finding Out

CHAPTER 10: Finding Out…

The McMahon family was patiently waiting in the hospital for any updates regarding Stephanie. It has been half an hour since she was rushed here after she collapsed for reasons they weren't aware of. Declan and Kenyon stayed with Randy and John, until Shane and Rissa would be back that night.

Moreso, they were here for another reason. After falling of a 20-foot cell, Shawn was also sent straight into this hospital. Rebecca was here too, and she was a nervous wreck. Shawn had assured her that he would be fine, and that Paul would look after him. But it was Paul who actually caused this to happen. No, she was not blaming anyone; she knew it was an accident. It was just that…

Linda and Marissa tried their best to comfort Becca. Being wives of superstars themselves, they surely understood clearly how she was feeling at that very moment. Fortunately, the doctor assigned to him came out with good news.

"Mrs. Hickenbottom, your husband's in a good condition now. He's already fine… just suffered a few bruises in his body and a concussion. But he is now conscious. He just needs a lot of rest. He definitely can't work tomorrow. He'll be brought to a room upstairs soon, so he could accommodate more visitors. I just need you to tell me immediately once he awakens, so that I may give him his medicines and make another observation."

After thanking the doctor, Rebecca excused herself and proceeded upstairs to wait for Shawn. The McMahons promised they would drop by to visit later, once they've gotten an update on Steph.

On the other hand, the guys were anxious to hear what was up with Stephanie. And if nobody would come out in five minutes, Paul was going to make somebody tell him what's happening. It had been killing him that he, considering that he was Stephanie's husband, had no idea on what has been up with her all day.

"She isn't pregnant again, is she?" Paul asked into the air.

Looking at each other, Linda and Rissa replied simultaneously, "No."

And Linda added: "You would wish she was though instead."

"What? Do you happen to know what's wrong with Steph?"

Linda looked at Marissa once again, as if asking for assistance and assurance that what she was about to do was right.

When she was about to speak, a doctor suddenly came out.

"Mr. Levesque?"

Standing up at once, Paul was quick to reply. "Yeah, that's me! What's happened? What's wrong with my wife? What's going on with her?" He was definitely in a state of panic. And as much as the McMahons were equally worried about Steph, they decided that it was Paul who had the most "right" to know about her. They were just there for back up and support.

"Calm down, sir. Your wife's fine… at the moment."

"What do you mean 'at the moment'? Could you just fuckin' tell me what's going on?" Paul was now a bit too aggressive. But he couldn't help it. He wanted to see Steph as soon as possible and make sure she's okay.

"She collapsed because of a lot of reasons, giving emphasis on stress and lack of energy. It seems that she hasn't taken anything today except maybe about twenty-five cups of coffee. Work is another thing. I know who you are, who she is and what she's doing. It seems that she's been overworking herself. Now, over work and under eating would not help her in any way, especially in her condition. If she wants to get well soon, and continue living especially for your daughter, then she has to take care of herself."

"Condition? What 'condition'? What exactly is her condition? And 'get well soon'? And did I hear you right when you said 'continue living for our daughter'? Why won't she be able to live for our daughter? What in the hell is going on!" He was now in a state of panic… extreme panic.

"You mean you don't know about your wife's condition?"

"What condition!" One can bet that he was getting more and more frustrated each time and he wanted to be given an answer now!

"Uh… doctor… it's okay. Just leave this with us… thanks for giving us an update." Linda decided that it would be better that if the news just came from one of them rather than from someone else like the doctor.

"Okay Mrs. McMahon. We'll have Stephanie transferred to a private room, where she could be more comfortable. She'll be kept under observation for the next 48 hours. But please, I request that there be as less visitors as possible. If it would be okay, only one person would stay here to spend the nights and watch over her. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Lin, what in the hell is going on!" Like Paul, Vince, too was dying to know what all of the three girls have been keeping from them.

"Uhm, I think you should sit down for this."

Getting straight into Linda's face, Paul screamed: "I don't need or want to sit down! Could you just tell me what's with Steph and get over this shit already!"

"Hey, man! Come on! Just have a seat. You need to calm down… being hot headed and aggressive won't help matters. And I don't think Steph would like it that you're screaming at her mom!" Shane, who was equally as worried and confused, was seemed to be able to keep his cool the most, although he was still a little mad that his wife (and mother) has been keeping something from him. He assisted and somehow pushed Paul into the chair were he previously sat and occupied the one next to it. It was an easier job than what people might actually think. Paul no longer fought back; it was as if he had lost all of his energy because of that day's events. Vince sat on his other side.

"Okay… uhm… here's the thing… Stephanie… is in there, because…" Linda began but could no longer continue. Sensing that her mother-in-law was slowly becoming an emotional wreck as well, Marissa took the 'privilege' and continued.

"Steph's… Steph's ss-ss-sick. I asked her to go see a doctor yesterday… because she has been complaining of abdominal pain for weeks. We decided that it would be a girl's day out yesterday after the check-up, so I went with her. But we no longer went out… after we found out… that… that… she… was… sick… and… she… had… c-c-cancer… of the… ovary… and… and… and she… she may… no longer… have kids."

"What?" Paul could no longer count how many times he has said that expression for the day. It seemed that life was playing a cruel joke on him, and he no longer found it funny. Did he just hear Rissa right? Steph, his wife and the mother of his kid, had ovarian cancer? And that they could no longer have kids?

"Noooo waaaaayy! Tell me you're kidding… tell me this is just one big joke. And if it is, stop it. It's not funny." But as he kept saying that, more and more, it only became clearer to him that this was real, and that he can't run away from it.

A lot of thoughts were running in his mind. He had always wanted to have a family of his own, and many cute little kids. It's not that Steph and Aurora weren't enough; it was just that he had always wanted to have a little Paul running around, to whom he could share a special male bonding that only a father and a son could have. But more than that, the thought of the love of his life being a victim of that no-good fucking shit they call cancer, he couldn't take that. He can't take seeing Stephanie suffer, being in pain, having a hard time. And cancer was no joke. That could mean him losing her, at any minute. And with her gone, he no longer had a purpose in life. He couldn't continue living if something happened to her.

Finally, as he could no longer hold his emotions anymore, the man known to the world as the cunning, conniving, relentless "Cerebral Assassin" Triple H, broke down.

Vince, the man whom he had considered to be more than his employer, but already a father, even before he married his daughter, enveloped him into a hug.

Seconds later, the McMahons shared a family hug, with Linda and Marissa also in tears, which got its fair share of glances from the people in the hospital. But they no longer cared what anyone thought. They never had, anyway. Screw everyone else. In times like this, they had to be together, for each other. They would stick by each other, and provide one another with strength and support that only family could give. They had to comfort each other, and as a unit, believing that everything would be fine. They would get through this storm, together. They would win this battle. And it didn't matter whether people liked it or not.

Now that Paul, Vince and Shane finally know what's going on, how would things go?


	11. We'll Be Fine

CHAPTER 11: We'll Be Fine…

Just minutes after he was sent to a private room, Shawn started to stir and soon opened his eyes to the delight of Rebecca. She released a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight has been lifted off of her.

She hugged Shawn suddenly, which somewhat surprised him. "Thank God you're awake! You scared me… how are you feeling now? Do you need anything? Does your body still hurt? What can I do for you?"

Returning the hug, soothing her back and letting out a small laugh, he replied: "Hey, I'm… I'm fine…"

After she broke away from the embrace, Rebecca replied: "Don't even dare to laugh… it's not funny! I was soooo scared that something bad had happened to you already. You assured me that you would be okay, and nothing would go wrong. Yet, you fell off the cell. And it's a 20-foot cell! And I was sitting there, front row! And by the way, Cam's been calling my cell and Cheyenne's been crying to death for forever because they're both as equally concerned. They're with John and Randy now… You don't have any idea how that fall looked… and the whole arena was even chanting…" At this time, she was again on the verge of breaking down.

"What? You mean… I… I actually fell off the cell? No wonder my body hurts like hell!"

"You mean you don't know! Oh god… oh well… that's no longer important. What matters is that you're okay now, are you?"

"Well, to be truthfully honest with you… I'm okay… except for my body… it hurts too much…"

"But how's your back!"

"That… that's doing good. So you have to worry about nothing. Just the usual stuff, nothing I'm not used to…"

"Oh yeah, gotta call the doctor before he discovers that you're awake and I didn't tell him…hang on a second…"

As Rebecca went out to call for the doctor, Shawn was left there thinking. First, he made sure he was able to thank the Lord Almighty for saving his life. Falling off the cell that high was no joke, and he would be ready to go, only if he didn't have responsibilities. But he had a family, and he has to be there for them, all the way. Another thought that came into his mind was how those very moments actually took place. He couldn't remember anything clearly, except for a super kick he was setting up on Shane, which was supposed to hit. But now, he's lying here in a hospital bed, feeling like he's the one who has been super kicked from the cell, straight to the floor. And what happened after? Was Paul left alone to work a three-on-one? He knew his friend was smart, but at times, he would be stubborn just to give the fans a hell of a time.

"Wait, wait. Okay, things are starting to become clearer… I was setting Shane up for a super kick… then… then… Paul pushed Shane away… then, I… I lost my footing… then… oh, shoot!" The events earlier on were starting to come back to Shawn, and now, things made a little more sense. But his friend sure owed him an explanation. "Why in the world did he push Shane out of the way? And if it was to save his ass, then why didn't he save mine? What the… and where is he? Isn't he supposed to 'pay up' even by just paying a small visit?" Truth be told, Shawn was slightly mad at Paul, and he would let his best friend know about it as soon as they get the chance to meet.

Rebecca came back with the doctor who did another check-up on Shawn, gave him a diagnosis and painkillers, and advised him to just get a lot of rest. There would be not much moving from the 41-year-old Texas native, meaning, no work tomorrow evening and the days after that, and the pain he was feeling was just "normal" from someone who has fallen off an area twenty-feet high. He assured both Shawn and Rebecca that everything was fine, and that they had nothing to worry about.

The doctor then excused himself to check-up on the other patients, and the couple was left to themselves.

Shawn decided that it would be a nice time for him to be filled with the answers to the questions he had in mind. "Uh… I just have a question, how did the match end? I mean I can't remember anything after I lost my balance and fell. So was it an ultimate one-man show by Paul? Or was it a horrendous three-on-one?"

"After Paul realized what had happened, he called for a choke slam, and he got one straight into the steel, and he got pinned."

"Oh! So I see he chose to be a little smart this time around. But just not that smart enough… do you have any idea why he pushed Shane out of the way? Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing that it be Shane here lying in this bed… it's just that… you know…"

"Yes, I understand… well you see the thing is, I doubt anyone has talked to Paul yet about what had happened. He's been in a roller coaster the past few minutes or maybe hours, and with them not sure with what's going on with Steph, I doubt he's actually thinking about what had happened at this moment."

"Why, what's with Steph?" This seemed to be the question of the day.

"As far as I know, seconds after the match ended, she collapsed. And the last time I was with the McMahons, there was no word on her yet. But if my feeling serves me right, she's in her private room now. I'm just not aware of what's wrong with her."

Shawn sighed heavily. "This has been a weird day. You wouldn't believe how things have been today. What is with today, anyway? First, I don't get much sleep… then you start to act weirdly… and I tell Paul about it, only to find out that Steph's been that way to… then we get approached by Shane who's accusing Paul of having done something to Steph… then we find out that Rissa, too has been acting the same way as you and Steph… then we talked to Vince, then he tells us it's about tonight… then we talk to you girls… then Shane and I find out, then Paul doesn't cause Steph was insisting she was fine… then an accident happens, I fall off a cell… Steph collapses, and now we're both here in the hospital."

Before Rebecca even got the chance to react, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was a somewhat battered Shane, with Marissa.

"Hey man! How ya feeling?" It was obvious

"Well, for someone who has fallen off from 20 feet, I'm fine. I just can't believe how you're able to do this almost on a monthly basis when you're regular and be able to stand back up and walk. Dude, this is no joke! And I refer to myself as Superman. So what are you?"

With a slight sense of pride and arrogance, Shane replied: "Well… as you should know by now, it comes with the job…"

And simultaneously, Becca and Rissa muttered: "And pride…"

"We heard that!"

Then laughter filled the air. Well, at least the mood was lightened. And they proceeded to throw in jokes and comments to try and take their minds off things.

But Shawn just had to ask: "How's your sister?"

"Well, uhm…" Tightening his grip on Marissa's hand, as if asking for comfort, Shane continued: "She… she's in her room now, Paul and mom and dad are with her… waiting for her to wake up… she's been… she's been diagnosed with… with…" Tears started to form in his eyes. For the first time that night, it was only during this time that he had finally realized and took in what was going on with her only sister. Things have not registered in his head the whole time, which was caused by extreme shock and confusion. Seeing that Shane seemed to be unable to continue anymore, Rissa, for the second time of the night, was left with no choice but to be the bearer of the bad news.

"She's been diagnosed with… o-o-ovarian c-c-cancer… yesterday… and hasn't taken anything except coffee today, that's why she collapsed."

"Oh my… I'm sorry, bro…"

"I don't even understand why this is fuckin' happening! Why? Why to Steph? Why to my only sister? What, are we being punished for everything we supposedly did? Is this the consequence of firing a thousand people just because their services are no longer needed in the company? Is this what we get for presenting a form of entertainment that is deemed violent and senseless? Why her? Why can't it just be someone else? Maybe someone like me!" Finally, after keeping his cool for the past minutes, his emotions were let out. Yes, Shane was indeed questioning fate now. And he was not happy with how fate worked. He obviously did not like what was happening, and has not yet accepted matters completely. It would take time, as Shane loved his only sister so much.

In an almost inaudible voice, Marissa called out his name, in an attempt to stop him and calm him down. She was also confused, and at this time, was full of questions, too. For goodness' sake, that's her best friend they were talking about.

Shane stopped and just plopped down on the couch beside him. No, it was not because of Marissa, he just didn't have much energy to say something or do anything anymore. He just wanted to give up. Why was this happening?

---

Meanwhile…

Over at Steph's room, Paul was in there, waiting for her to finally wake up so they could talk. He was sure that of all the moments they were together, Steph needed him the most right now. She needed all his love, care, support and assurance, that he would be with her every step of the way. Each minute that passed seemed like an hour, and this was killing him inside. But he was fully aware that he had to be strong, for himself, for their families, for her.

Outside, Vince and Linda shared a conversation. They both decided that it be best for them to allow Paul to spend some alone, intimate moments with Steph. They may be her original family, but he was her family now. They understood that this was a very important yet hard time for Paul and their daughter, and they were surely there for back up and support.

"Why didn't you tell me? Us?" Vince just had to ask, even if somehow, he already knew the answer to that. He just felt it was a tad bit unfair that the three of them—Paul, him and Shane—were left out regarding the information. "So when were you planning to tell us then?"

"Steph didn't want you guys to know. She knew you'd freak out and be all over her every single minute. And by the looks of it, she's actually right. Look, I'm sorry, okay? I wanted you to know as soon as possible. It's just that Steph made me, made us, promise not to. And with her condition, I just had to give in…" Linda was on the verge of breaking down, already caused by the present situation with her only daughter, and now it seems that Vince was blaming her for not telling him about it…

Realizing what he had just done, Vince pulled Linda into a hug. "Lin… baby, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I know… I understand… I'm sorry…" Being the guy, Vince knew that he had to remain strong, even if he, himself already wanted to break down. He was supposed to be the source of strength for his wife, for his son, for his daughter. All his life, with all the trials he had faced in his life, he always drew strength from his family. They kept him going on, moving on… and as long as they believed, it was "screw you" to the world. Now, he was determined to be the strong one, to whom they would rely on, if they could no longer hang on.

Inside, Steph was still asleep as Paul took it as an opportunity to talk to her, and make her feel special, despite her condition. At this moment, like Shane, Paul couldn't understand why this was happening to them, especially to her! But he couldn't keep questioning… he can't keep waiting for the answer to come. He had to be tough.

Taking her soft hand into his, Paul, in a soft and gentle voice started: "Baby, I don't know why this is happening to us, especially to you. I don't know why this is going on… but what I know is that we can and will get through this. We will get past this storm, and are gonna emerge victorious. We're gonna tell that fuckin sickness to go take a hike. You, know… it's just a matter of two words… which I think you know all too well…" Then, he let out a small chuckle. And he continued: "Just remember, I'll be with you through all of this. You know that you're my heart and soul… I'll not leave you… don't ever doubt that. I love you so much to leave you… and Aurora and I are going to be with you. Baby, you have to be strong… for me, for Aurora, for yourself… for all of us. Keep fighting… I can't take it if something happens to you. I'll not be able to continue on with life. So come' on baby, just hang in there… keep holding on… keep fighting… you'll be fine… we'll all be fine. I love you so much." Then he kissed her hand.

Surprisingly enough, she squished his hand, signaling that she was already awake, and that she had heard every word he said. And in a weaker, softer voice, she replied: "I… love… you… too…"

Paul jumped up from his seat and went on to hug Stephanie tightly, like he never had before. "Oh my god, baby… I'm so glad you're finally awake! You scared me… oh my god…" Excitement was indeed clear in his voice.

Laughing at him, she teased: "It is that obvious…" He may be the conniving, evil, manipulative Triple H, but behind the camera he was just a regular guy, who happens to be a kid at heart. He knew when to goof and play around, and there were days that he's just to hyper and jumpy. It was showing now… you can bet he was extremely, extremely happy.

Turning to serious mode, Steph continued: "I'm sorry I scared you… and for not telling you in advance. I was just… I just didn't want you… I… I… maybe I was just scared about what you might think, and how you would react… and how you would consider me after finding out… and that you… you might… l-l-lea…" At this time, she was now in tears.

Sitting beside her on the bed, Paul took her into his arms, and comforted her in the best possible way. Wiping the tears that had already fallen from her eyes, he said: "Hey… it's okay… I understand. But next time, please… if there's something going on with you… I want you to tell me okay? So you won't be carrying the load alone. That's what I'm here for. As your husband, it is my duty to make sure you're okay and to share in whatever it is that's in your life… it's "for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part", remember? I recited those vows to you three years ago, and am planning to keep that vow even after I die. So, don't keep such things from me anymore okay… 'cause you're scaring me too much that it might kill me!" Obviously, as always, he was just joking with the last part. "And… don't ever… and I mean ever even entertain the thought that I'll leave you. I've accepted everything about you, and will continue to accept everything that you will still become. As I told you… I just love you too much." Then he kissed the side of her head.

"I promise. I promise to not keep important things from you anymore—that is unless Rissa and I find a new guy to drool over… and to never even think about you leaving me. I'm just that lucky, ain't I?" She was all smiles now, realizing how fortunate she was to have such a man who promised to love her in spite and despite of everything, and who truly loved her for who she really is.

"You can bet your ass that you are!" The two shared a laugh, then eventually, a sweet and meaningful kiss.

After they parted, Paul felt it was time for the rest of her family to see her already. He felt that he had been keeping them with information for too long now.

"Hey! Uhm… by the way… your family's here… as in all of them… well except the 2 little giddy boys… and I think they deserve to know that you're already awake, and I think that they, too have a right to see you… so, as much as I hate to end this special, intimate moment with you… I think I have to. Let's entertain some guests shall we?"

"Okay… don't worry… I doubt they'll be allowed to stay here for the night. So after they leave, it's just gonna be you and me."

"Kicking the family out aren't we? Nice to know you love them too much…" He teased.

"Send them in already!" And with all the strength she had, she threw a pillow at him.

"Ahh… so you wanna play huh? We'll play. After you get well, we'll definitely be playing…" He said playfully.

"Go get them already!"

"Fine, fine, fine."

After being called, Vince and Linda were now in the room, and as one could guess, were as ecstatic as Paul was. Even if their only daughter was sick, what was important to them now was that at present, she was awake and fine.

---

Back in Shawn's room, after hearing about Steph, Shawn's "anger" on Paul all faded. How could he remain mad at a person whose wife happens to be suffering from ovarian cancer, and could probably no longer have kids? He was grateful that his wife was okay, and was healthy. And pitied Steph too much. She has been like a little sister to her over the years, and if an outsider who doesn't know them would look at how they interact with each other, he would think that something's going on between the two. They were that close and that was how much he cared for Steph. Also, he felt bad for his best friend. He knew how much Paul wanted to have kids… a lot of kids. And how about that Paul Jr., to whom he would serve as a godfather to? Paul promised him that, and he had to keep that promise!

"Uh… I'm… I'm going down. I'm seeing Steph."

The other three who were with him chorused: "What!" It was obvious they were shocked. Who wouldn't be?

"Look, the girl's sick… really sick. And… I think my best friend needs me at a time like this. So just please… help me up so I could go down visit the person I consider my little sister… excuse me, bro… but I think you know that I treat her as my sister."

Shane replied: "Yes, Shawn… I know… I know how much you care for Stephie. But you can't leave. You have to stay here and rest. You, yourself are not physically well… so you know… you have to remain in that bed, in this room and rest."

But after seeing that Shawn seemed to not take in anything he said and was determined to go see Steph, Shane continued: "You really that serious?"

"You can bet your ass I am…"

Looking at the two females in the room, Shane finally agreed. "Fine… we'll help you down. But if someone gets mad and sees us and sends us out of this hospital, it's all your fault… and I'll kill ya!"

"Shane!" Rebecca and Marissa said simultaneously. It was obvious they were against that idea.

"What?" Acting innocent, Shane continued: "If I'm the one lying there and my sister is sick somewhere, I'll fight till the end for me to leave and to go see her… and honestly, you, my dearest wife, could not really do anything about it, but to eventually give in. I mean, I can't blame him…"

Pouting like a baby and smiling inside, Shawn kept nodding. Now, both guys were pouting and pleading with their respective wives to go along with their plan already. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeease…" They were really 2 of the cutest men above the age of 35 that has graced God's green earth.

Trying hard not to laugh, and with the kind of cute, puppy dog eyes their husbands had, Becca and Rissa finally agreed to it already.

So off they went to put into action their plan, hoping they would not get caught.

---

Over at Steph's room it was a family affair. The four shared a chat, talked about life, and anything under the sun. They had one goal: to lighten up the mood and not succumb into that deadly "C" word. They could and would get past that.

Then a knock came that temporarily stopped their conversation. After given permission to enter, Marissa came in first, and then was followed by Shane. They closed the door to keep Shawn a secret for the meantime.

"Hey baby sister! How ya feeling?"

"Glad to see you two have finally decided to see me… I'm okay… feeling better, thank you…"

"Uh… someone came down and said he wants to see you too…"

Once again opening the door, they saw Shawn, with Rebecca by his side, enter. He was in crutches.

"Shawn!" All four chorused at the same time.

Then Paul asked: "What are you doing here?"

Smiling and laughing inside because of the extreme shock he caused to the McMahons Shawn joked: "You didn't drop by to see me… so I thought I'd come down and see my best friend." The looks on their faces were just priceless.

"Are you insane? You should be in bed resting! And… how in the hell did you get here without getting caught! If someone goes to check on you in your room and you're not there, you're gonna be dead!" Shawn was stubborn at times, and Paul was always there to reprimand him for that. Even if Shawn was four years older, most of the time, it seemed like Paul was the older one, cause he was more mature.

"I just came to see my sister okay? Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Yes, if you should be in bed resting and storing up as much energy as possible…"

Even if Steph was thinking the same way as Paul was, she still saw Shawn's point. "Aww… thanks Shawnie… that's so sweet of you. So how are you? For a man who fell of 20-feet from a cage, you don't look that bad."

"You don't look bad yourself… still the same old… my pretty little sister…" And Shawn comfortably took a seat next to Paul, which earned him a soft slap in the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Shawn said while rubbing his head.

"For being an ass and very stubborn."

"Well I guess I have to slap you too." And he did.

Steph had enough of their immaturity. Boy, did she love their being kids at heart. "Okay kids… stop it! You act worse than Declan and Kenyon."

Laughter filled the room once more, as more talks, jokes and slaps were shared inside.


	12. A Light, Happy Moment

CHAPTER 12: A Light, Happy Moment…

Minutes later, one of Steph's nurses came to do one of those periodic check-ups on their patients. When she entered the room, she was somewhat overwhelmed by what she saw: wrestling's first and most powerful family was there right in front of her, and it was just one of those "normal", non-wrestling days for them, something which fans don't get much of a chance to see them be in. She was a huge, huge wrestling fan… her whole family was. And not only was she a usual fan, she was a certified McMahons-DX fan. Oooh, what a lucky girl. But aside from being in awe by the presence of the whole McMahon family, she was also surprised by Shawn being there. As far as she knew, he was supposed to be in his own room, resting.

"Uhm… excuse me… I'm Mitch, one of Steph's nurses. I just dropped by to check on our princess… So… how… how are you feeling now?" For some reason, her voice was shaking. But what surprised her more was how she was able to put up a decent conversation, with her ultimate idol. She idolized Steph more than anyone else; she felt that Steph symbolized how women should be in society. She was strong, confident, and didn't back down from anybody. She did what she had to do, to get whatever she wanted. That was the on-air character. She loved the behind-the-scene persona more. Being the daughter of an extremely rich business tyrant, she didn't have to work much and bust her ass to earn a living. But she did, and she is. And here she was, being given the opportunity to take care of her "hero" even for just a small moment.

"I'm… I'm doing okay. Been better, thank you. I… I think it's you whom I should be asking, "how you're doing" to… cause… you're… you're shaking… you sure you're okay?" Steph teased with a smile, although somehow she already knew why the nurse was acting this way. It's surely not the first time that someone's shaking and has tears welled up in her eyes while talking to her.

Blushing until her face was as red as a tomato, Mitch replied: "Y-y-y-yeah…", but she shook more.

Everyone in the room laughed at the incident. Sure they were used to these kinds of moments, and as ultimately super popular people, they actually found each of those times rather cute.

From where he was seated, Shawn thought that it was his time to do the teasing. So he spoke up: "Are you really, really sure that you're a-okay??? Cause I swear, I've never seen anyone shake as much as you do… even if he/she has a problem with his/her nervous system. Maybe we should call a nurse, don't ya think? Hey, but you're the nurse here! Oh! So nurse… Nurse I-forgot-the-name-of, we have a problem. Well, there's this girl in a room, uhm… she's incredibly shaking… for I don't know what reason… maybe it's because she's in awe at my presence. Well, can't really blame her. If you're before the Heartbreak Kid, you really are going to break." He finished his statement with one of those cocky, teasing smirks, which earned him a smack in the head from Paul.

"Well, excuse him nurse, well you see… my best friend here, well it's just so unfortunate I consider him that… he… he can be a little… you know… jerk-y and an asshole at times…"

"A little only? I can name a thousand other times when he had been a certified ass… and it was even on national television." Wow! That just didn't come out of her mouth. Now she was feeling more comfortable, and she thought to herself that this was just not a dream… this was reality… and if only this was how each and every patient she had was, then she won't have any problem dragging her ass up from bed every morning.

"Oooh… she got ya man… tsk tsk tsk… poor Shawnie… a young nurse got him…" Paul continued to tease Shawn in a playful voice.

Placing his hand on his left chest, Shawn shot back sarcastically: "Oh! So now I'm melting… oooohh… hu-hu-hu… haha funny…" and he slapped Paul in the arm.

"Uhm… well… I hate to spoil the party but… I was just wondering why you, Mr. Hickenbottom are here in this very room, when you're supposed to be in your own room upstairs resting and building up energy…" Her voice was stern, that Shawn thought she sounded like his mother.

Shawn muttered: "Oh, great! She got me…" But he had to think of a way to get him out of this "predicament". And what better way to get out of something than to pretend not knowing about it in the first place.

"Ahh… you see… I'm just here visiting. You know… cause… Steph is here. And… I don't know if you know… but… I… I consider her to be like my baby sister. So, I'm here… visiting! Yeah… that!" And thinking that the nurse may not have any idea about what happened in the pay-per-view earlier, as she may have likely been on duty, he added, "So why should I be upstairs? There's nothing wrong with me…" He finished that statement with one of those gorgeous smiles that would make any girl's heart melt. Somewhere in the room, Shane and Marissa were laughing to themselves… Shawn could really be a cutie at times.

Unfortunately, he thought wrong. "Well, I suppose when you fall straight off a 20 foot cage, to the announcers' table, straight to the concrete floor, you should really be in bed resting."

Slightly blushing because his secret has now been exposed, Shawn had to admit to it already. "Okay fine… you got me. But, how'd… how'd you know that? Weren't you on duty or something?"

"Well… actually I was… but my brother called and told me what happened. Have I mentioned to you that my whole family is into WWE? And when I say whole, I really mean whole… there's my dad, my mom, my older brother, my older sister, my younger brother, my younger sister, my two uncles, my two aunts and all of my four cousins. You want proof on how obsessed my family is? Let's just put it this way. My younger brother is named Mark… my younger sister is Trish. My four cousins are Paul, Shawn, John and Randy. One of my aunt's actually pregnant now and she's planning to name her kid Candice. And uh… I don't know if this is good or not… but our dogs are Glenn, Adam and Dave."

Everyone in the room echoed: "Wooooww!!" Her family was indeed die-hard fans. Vince actually felt proud. After all, this was his product. And to be here with a fan whose life basically revolves around wrestling, it was just… the feeling was unexplainable. True, he has heard of a thousand "I'm a fan… a die-hard fan… wrestling is my life" speeches, but he has not really met one. Now, here's a girl… a nurse in her early twenties… the nurse of her daughter, who has just confessed to be his company's biggest fan.

Then Shawn asked: "And you're named after…? I'm sure you mentioned you're name earlier… I just didn't quite get it… If you're named after the Fabulous Moolah or Mae Young, I'll scream!"

Letting out a small chuckle, she replied. "It's Mitch… my real name's actually Michelle… Michelle Rose."

This revelation caused Shawn's, Rebecca's, Paul's and Steph's jaws to drop. Wasn't that a co-incidence? Her name was actually the combination of their respective daughters' second name. Cheyenne Michelle and Aurora Rose.

"I know… that's… that's just a big co-incidence. When I heard you named your daughter, Michelle, I went crazy. When I heard on TV you guys named Aurora, Rose, I went crazier. And now, I'm in the presence of the parents of my namesakes and they happen to be my biggest idols, too."

Then an alarm was suddenly heard. It came from Mitch's watch, signaling that visiting hours were now over, and she had to make sure that all of her patients were resting comfortably in their respective rooms, free from visitors. Somehow saddened that this enjoyable moment should now end, she had to break the news to her "patient's visitors".

"Uhm… as much as I'm enjoying each and every second of this moment, I hate to tell you that visiting hours are now over, and all visitors are being asked to leave now, to allow our patients to rest and get the peace and quiet they need. You could all come back tomorrow morning and by that time, I assure you, our princess here will be all better, and I'll have the latest updates on her condition. But in the mean time, you really all have to go, and I'm on strict orders that only one person—whom I suppose will be Mr. Levesque—will be allowed to stay. Plus, Mr. Hickenbottom, playtime's over. You need to go back to your room now… before anyone else finds out you're here."

No one moved from where they sat and instead, groans were heard to surround the room.

Surprised by the fact that nobody seemed to hear any of what she had just said, Mitch spoke again. "I know you're the most powerful family and duo on television, and that you could do anything you want, anytime. But sorry to break your bubble… we're not on television, and you guys are no better than anyone else here. As the rules state, you really should go. So go now before I call in security to drag your ass out of this building. I'm sure you wouldn't want any of that", she threatened. But deep down, she was enjoying every minute of it.

"Fine, fine, fine… we're leaving… Hmph! Mean nurse…"

"It's just amazing how a twenty four year old nurse could command television's most powerful family to do something…" Mitch muttered to herself, which was heard by Shane.

So he jokingly shot back: "Shut up! I shall return!"

So they all said their goodbye's to each other, exchanging kisses and hugs, with the McMahon's promising to be back tomorrow morning, despite having to be at work.

Then Paul told Steph. "Uhm… baby, can I leave you for just a second? I'm gonna help send this jerk upstairs. Who knows? He may leave this hospital without any of us knowing… So, will you be okay being alone for just a while?"

"Yeah… I'll… I'll be fine… go ahead…"

"Okay then." Paul placed a kiss on Steph's forehead and accompanied everyone out of the room.

Helping Shawn up with his crutches, Paul said: "Come' on asshole, let's go…" This earned him a smack on the head from the older guy, which resulted to them slapping each other now and almost having a fight.

Then Vince intervened: "Okay kids, stop it! Let's go. You're worse than Declan and Kenyon!"

Steph, Becca, Shane, Rissa, Linda and Mitch all just had to smile. Paul and Shawn were indeed the best pair of best of friends that ever existed.

Things were indeed getting better…


	13. Conversations

CHAPTER 13: Conversations…

Paul and Rebecca were successful in helping Shawn back up to his room without getting caught by anybody. Once they reached the room, Shawn was forced back to his bed, and he was on strict orders from Dr. Levesque not to move away from it until he leaves that damn hospital, unless he needed to go to the bathroom. Paul couldn't understand how in the world could a man, who has fallen off from that high a place could still move and walk around, even causing commotion. But he couldn't blame Shawn with wanting to not stay in his room. When he got injured in 2001, he was the same way. He hated hospitals, and couldn't stand their smell and whole being. For him, hospitals meant negative things: pain, suffering, injury, and at times death. And those were what now is… pain, suffering and injury to his best friend and to his wife. He just hoped that the last one was nowhere near them. The only day he was happy being in a hospital was on the 24th of July, the day that her firstborn daughter was born.

Lying on his bed, Shawn sensed that Paul, who was seating on a chair beside the bed, was now acting a bit differently since they left Steph's room. It was just a while ago that they were fooling around, hitting and cursing each other. Now, he's not even uttered a single word.

"Hey bro… you seem a little out… you okay?"

When Paul didn't answer back and was seem to be not in the same planet as he was, Shawn threw him a pillow.

Paul was then knocked out from his thoughts and Shawn finally had his attention. "What?!?" and he threw the pillow back.

"What's wrong? What ya thinking about?"

"Nothing…"

"What, you're part of Becca, Steph and Rissa's nothing's-wrong-with-me club right now? Tell me… tell Daddy Shawn what's bothering you…"

"I said it's nothing… just thinking about… stuffs… you know… the events today… nothing big really…"

"What about the events today?"

"You sure you want me to answer that question? I'm sure you know what has happened today. ALL that has happened today…"

"Yeah… I… I know… I meant… what about the things that have happened today? You know… what's in there that's making you so lost in thoughts and seemingly not minding the presence of other people in this room…"

"Look Shawn… I'm okay… it's the usual, normal stuff… just thinking about life… you know, you kinda become more reflective when bad things happen to you… or something like that… hey… look, I got to go now… Steph's alone… she might need me for something… so I'll see you tomorrow…"

"Wait… hold up! Uhm… uh… uh…" Not knowing what to say next, Shawn looked at his wife, as if asking her for help. Fortunately, she got that sign.

"Uhm… I… I'm gonna go get Shawn something to eat… and maybe drop by Steph's too… I'll… I'll be the one to watch over her while you two do what you're supposed to do… so… ex-excuse me…"

Smiling at Paul, Shawn said, "Well, I'll be left alone then. And it's not nice to leave your best friend alone. So…"

Sighing, Paul really didn't have any choice. "Fine, fine…"

When Rebecca left, it was time to spill the beans.

"Okay man, let it out. What's up?"

"I don't really understand why you keep insisting that something is wrong with me when in reality, there is nothing to talk about."

Shawn's patience was starting to wear thin now. Maybe because he was just tired, considering everything that has happened today. But still, he managed to still crack a joke. "Are we gonna start lying to each other now? After more than ten years of friendship, you're gonna start keeping things from me now? Come' on man, that's unfair. You should have at least told me that it was already okay to lie… I would have done that before you did…"

"Okay fine!" Paul was now a little bit aggressive. "You really wanna know?! I'll let you know!!" Then, in a much louder voice, he continued: "I've been bugged by everything that has happened today! What about the events today?! Well let's see… uh… first, my wife started acting weirdly the whole day, basically shunning me out of her life. Then, I never really got to figure out what was wrong with her, until the latter part of the day. This means that she has carried the burden that has been eating her up the whole time, alone, and I allowed that to happen! Then, I see myself in a main event match wherein I made a mistake that has resulted to my best friend falling off from a 20-foot cage and being sent straight to the hospital. Now, he's in a room, resting, in pain, suffering from several injuries, can't work tomorrow and God knows till when… while my wife is downstairs, in the same hospital, but for a different reason. She was rushed here after collapsing seconds after the accident happened. Cause I just found out recently, that she's been suffering from… from… something that might cause us to not have a child anymore, much more that may be a reason for me to lose her anytime. I can't live without her. I can't even imagine how I will continue living without her. I… I… why is this fuckin happening to me?!?!?"

After that long rant, Paul finally broke down. It has been a long day for him, and honestly, he has not totally let his emotions out yet. All of the mixed feelings—confusion, sadness, anger, doubt, fear, gratitude and more—he had inside of him that have been building up with the events of the whole day have not been released fully up until now. He wouldn't want to break in front of Stephanie; it was supposed to be her drawing strength from him. So he was grateful for Shawn and his stubbornness, that he wouldn't let him leave the room, without knowing the full reason why he was acting a bit different. Shawn could really read him like a book.

Shawn felt bad for Paul. He couldn't imagine the hell that his best friend was in at the moment. Sure that he may have fell from a place that not all human beings could fall from, that's why he's in this hospital now, but that was all just physical. Here, in front of him, is a man who is emotionally crushed and helpless, and Shawn wanted everything to just go away for his best friend. There's only one person whom he has considered being like his second brother, and that was Paul. He would do anything for Paul to feel better, and to get him off this agony, this feeling of confusion and distraught. But the truth is, he can't do anything now, but just to be there.

"Look man… I… I know this is incredibly hard for you… and I know that at this moment, it seems like as if nothing's making sense… but… but you have got to hold on. I know you're not as big as me on the religious stuff, but it's the same thing. I'm not gonna start preaching to you and feeding you verses from the Bible… although I'm sure that prayer would go a long way at a time like this. I could help you with that if you want… but I think that as a man, you know that life, sometimes is just unfair… and you just have to make it through the obstacles that come your way, may it be big or small. Bro, you got to believe that you would get through this. You have to believe that you're stronger, more powerful and bigger than this. Don't worry about me… I'll be fine… I'm gonna be okay. I'm Superman remember? Just hang in there for your wife. She's gonna need you now more than she has ever needed you in her life. It's now when she needs all of you to be there for her. And she needs none of those sympathy stuffs. She just needs to feel your love and support. And I, your ever dearest best friend… will be right beside you through all these. You can count on that!"

"I think I've never loved her more than I do now…"

"Don't tell me that… you go down and let her know that…"

"Sure thing… so uh… will you be okay if I leave you now?"

"Oh yeah… I would want nothing more… just make sure you send my wife back up. It's not healthy for one Paul Michael Levesque to be stuck alone in a room with two extra beautiful women…"

"Fine, fine, fine… I get the drift now…" Standing up, Paul continued, "Oh yeah, Shawn… before I leave, I just got two words for you…"

Raising an eyebrow, Shawn waited to hear those two words.

"Thank you."

"Huh? For your information big man… you owe me one. That's dinner at a hotel as soon as I get released here…" Shawn joked a bit, knowing full well that his friend was now in high spirits, full of hope and ready for anything that will come his way. That's the Paul Levesque he knew and that he has loved within the years.

"Screw you!!!"

"Oh that's four words now…"

"I hate you!"

"That's seven now…"

"Asshole!"

"Eight…"

"I'm leaving…"

"Ten…"

Paul has had enough of Shawn's goofing around. He grabbed one of Shawn's pillows and smacked it to his face.

"Ouch!"

But Paul became serious for a while and thought of something that has seemed to be quite obvious between them recently. "Why is it so hard for us to get separated whenever we are together? It's as if it's gonna take us forever for one of us to leave the room, you know…"

"Well… I think that's just what makes this friendship rock… We're worse than Steph and Rissa…"

"Oh yeah… sure…"

"Hey… I'ma go now… got to see the wife before she passes out… so uh… yeah… I'm going now. And I'll remember to send Becca up."

"Sure… I'll see ya whenever…"

"That's tomorrow… I'll be sure to drop by… and you make sure your ass is still on that bed!"

"Yes doctor!"

"Okay, here we go again… I'm really leaving" Then Paul proceeded to the door, before it's gonna take him how many minutes again to do so.

Opening the door and ready to make his exit now, Paul turned back around, wanting to tell Shawn one last thing he felt he needed to get off his chest. "Uh Shawn… one last thing… I don't know how I'm really supposed to tell you this… but uh… love ya man…"

Although surprised by that comment, Shawn smiled and replied, "Same here. Now go!"

"Fine, fine… bye!" Then Paul left the room.

Now alone, Shawn, though in this situation, thought about how lucky he was. He had a family whom he loved so dearly… a wife, who's just so supportive and understanding, two beautiful kids, who have changed his life forever, a career that's just very fulfilling, fans who are just the most loyal ones ever, the good Lord Almighty, and an asshole of a best friend whom he surely couldn't have lived without. Though it may seem he had just helped Paul a while ago, that was nothing compared to what his best friend has done for him, throughout all those years.

He just couldn't understand how the world never understood Paul. But he, Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, would surely, definitely be there for him, all the time.


	14. No Words Spoken

CHAPTER 14: No Words Spoken…

Meanwhile…

Upon leaving Steph's room, the McMahon's proceeded to the elevator, preparing to go back to the hotel now, and finally getting some rest. It has been a long day for all of them, with the events of the pay-per-view and the aftermath of that.

From Steph's room, to the elevator, up to the parking lot, nobody spoke a word. Noone really felt like saying anything, and a reason could also probably because they were all afraid. Honestly, though they have somewhat already comprehended and understood what has happened to Steph, they have not yet accepted it fully. This was their princess that we're talking about here… the youngest and the most vulnerable. Despite what the fans saw on WWE television, with them chanting "Slut!" everytime she made her way out… and the superstars mocking her and making fun of her because she is supposedly a manipulative bitch, behind the scenes, she was just a simple, sweet normal woman, who lived with maybe a little more privilege, but she worked hard for that. She wasn't simply fed with all the riches in the world. Like everyone else, she had to work to help give her child a better future, she had to pay taxes to the government, she, at times didn't like her job and co-workers, but decided to accept them anyway. For the McMahon family, Stephanie will always be their baby. The sweet, innocent Stephie…

Finally upon reaching their car, Shane decided to break the silence. Who would have thought that that moment would be the first and last conversation they would have in the next minutes. "Uh, dad? Who's driving? You want me to do it?"

"Yes please… I don't think I'll be in the right state of mind and body to drive anyway…"

Worried by her husband's reply, Linda asked, "Vince? Is there something wrong?"

Opening the door of the backseat, Vince replied, "No, no… just… just tired that's all. Let's go, shall we?"

Not fully believing what he had just heard, Shane sent his wife a look that expressed his worry for his father, of which Rissa reached her hand out and squeezed Shane's as a sign of comfort. She didn't actually know whether it was gonna be her or Shane who's gonna stand strong as a source of strength for the other in this entire ordeal, but at this moment, she felt that she was the one who had to.

Rubbing her hand as an expression of gratitude, Shane opened the door of the passenger seat allowing Rissa to enter, after which he also made his way to the driver's seat and made their way back to the hotel.

During the whole ride, again, nobody uttered even a single word. The only sound that could be heard was probably that of the engine and car running, but nothing more. Vince was just staring at his hands, in deep thought. Why was this happening to his daughter? Why was this happening to his precious Stephie? Why??? He never really understood why life was so unfair, but he believed in that saying, to the point of even instilling that in his kids. With everything he has encountered in his 61 years of existence, this, what's happening to his precious little girl, was by far the cruelest. He couldn't take it if something happens to her. He isn't ready to lose her yet, and thinks that he never will be. How could he lose her? Never, as in never in his whole life has he imagined that that will happen… and, if it does, how about her family? How about them? Him? Her daughter? Paul?

Linda, on the other hand was simply staring at Vince, trying to decipher what he was thinking about, because he was obviously in deep thought. Usually, Linda could have guessed right away that it was something related to the business—some new superstar he's thinking to hire or someone he has to send back to OVW for re-training, or some new storyline he's trying to cook up in his brain, or about the increase in the ratings recently. But no, this time, she was sure that it was more than the business. And knowing how much he loved Stephie, she was sure that her thoughts were on her now. She looked at his eyes; they were dull and had no life, which broke her heart. Without saying a word, Linda hugged Vince, which he in some way, returned, and they just stayed that way, holding onto each other the whole time.

In front, Marissa was busy staring out the window, also in deep thoughts. The streets at that time looked lively. Lights were lit everywhere, and there's a street party somewhere. There's a lot of dancing and flirting in the bar one block away from the hospital, and a group of teenagers were just hanging around in one corner, chatting away, letting time pass by. But the happenings outside were the exact opposite of what was going on inside the car, and how she was feeling. She has not totally expressed her emotions with the happenings today, and it was hard on her. The dream she had last night and its realization tonight still freaked her out, and that was something she has not understood completely. The thought of having her favorite superstar of all time being in a hospital because of that dream didn't help her situation and the thought that it might have been her husband who would be the one in the hospital made things worse. And… the one about Steph… don't even get started with her on that. She was the one who was personally with Steph during the time that she was diagnosed with c-ca… that. She was the one right beside Steph when she collapsed. She was the one who broke the news to Steph's whole family about it. The person being discussed here just happens to be her best friend of 20 years… a person whom she has shared almost everything with, that's it's just sometimes crazy already to the point of Shane getting jealous of his own sister, because the girls spent more time together compared to the time he had with Rissa. This was the person to whom she confided almost everything to: from the first time she had her first period up until the almost separation and divorce of her parents just last year. This was the same person whom she made a thousand pinky swears with, with promises that ranged from the silliest ones like not "stealing" Brad Pitt away from her, to the most serious ones that she would take care of Steph's brother forever. Steph was there for her every step of the way, and Marissa would like to think that she too, had been there for Steph all throughout. And today, now, with all of these, that would not change. Tears slowly formed in her brown eyes, something that has not happened at all after the pay-per-view, and she just allowed them to fall. Crying was seemingly something healthy to do now, to finally release all the emotions that has been locked and mixed up inside her.

With his constant glances to his wife beside her and to the rear-view mirror to check up on his parents, Shane saw that at least, his parents were holding up pretty well, considering what was going on. His wife surely wasn't taking things well anymore. He reached for her hands, squeezed it lightly, while trying to focus on the road. Driving the car was actually hard on him… it's not easy to concentrate and to keep the car from crashing when you have a million things in mind. But he had no choice but to volunteer himself to drive, knowing that that act would mean a lot to his dad, who as he has said earlier, was in no shape or condition to drive.

Stopping because of a red light, Shane let go of his wife's hands and reached for her chin, turning it towards him, to make her look at him. What he saw broke his heart. He hated seeing his wife cry, and he hated it when she was in pain. That was rule number one when it comes to relationships, which he got from his dad: Never hurt a woman, especially your wife. Sure, this was not his fault, but he felt helpless not knowing how to make the situation better for her. Not only for her, but for all of them.

With his right hand, Shane wiped the tears off Rissa's face, and made sure to give her a reassuring kiss, that he hoped would be of help to her, even in the slightest form.

When the light turned back to green, Shane let go of her face, and went back to reaching for her hands, which he held throughout that time forward. Every now and then, he would look back at his wife to make sure she's okay and would occasionally flash a small smile, telling her that everything would be okay. It's just that the more he did that, the more that he became uncertain whether he was doing that to reassure Marissa or himself that everything would indeed be fine.

A few minutes after, they already reached the hotel. With everyone stepping out of the car, and getting ready to check-in to finally get some rest, they all had one thought in mind. They surely wouldn't be able to get some shut-eye tonight.

Though no words were spoken, it was sure that tonight, with constant hugs and squeezing of hands, the McMahons have proven that actions indeed speak louder than words. That kind of love and support would surely not waver, especially at a time like this. Not now, not ever.


	15. A Long Day

CHAPTER 15: A Long Day…

The elevator stopped on the third floor, the same floor of the rooms that were occupied by the McMahons and some of the superstars.

Saying goodnight to each other, the two couples went their separate ways.

Walking towards their room, Shane and Marissa talked about whether to go and pick their kids up now, or just drop by John and Randy's room tomorrow. Or should I say later when they have woken up.

"Uh… I think it's better if we just pick them up tomorrow… I mean… it's already past midnight and…"

Shane, who knew more about how the superstars behaved and the kind of "lifestyle" have, cut her midway. "But knowing John and Randy, I doubt they're actually sleeping already."

This was proven true when they found themselves outside John and Randy's room, and heard a couple of voices that did not show any sign of tiredness and exhaustion.

Shane, who just couldn't understand how two people, who had just performed earlier that night, could still find energy to stay up late and play with four of the most mischievous kids in the world, knocked on the door. "I told you so…"

After hearing the words that allowed them to enter, Shane and Rissa did, surprised that all four kids were still awake. "Hey guys!"

After not being able to see his mom for what seemed like forever, Declan ran towards her in all excitement and glee, tightly hugging her legs. "Moooommmmmyyyyy!!!!" From where he was lying, Kenyon also cooed.

Shane muttered to Rissa: "Don't they see me or don't they just care that I'm here too?" Well at least he seemed to be in a better mood now.

"Hey sweetheart." Marissa just looked down and patted the kid's head. Usually, she would pick him up and place a kiss on his cheek. She was a very affectionate person; that was how she was raised. But now, she was just too tired to do so.

Unfortunately, Declan raised his arms up, signaling that he wanted to be carried. Truly, momma's boy number one missed his mom too much. Marissa had no choice, and despite the fatigue she was experiencing, she gave in to the little boy's wish.

"Mommy, I missed you…" said Declan clinging on to Rissa not wanting to let go.

Kissing the little boy's head, she replied, "I missed you too baby."

Kenyon then moved around and made a sound, as if feeling jealous of the attention that his mom has been paying to his older brother. This made the 4 older people in the room laugh.

"Someone's a little jealous… do I smell jealousy in the air?" Randy teased the baby, as if the kid understood him. He picked Kenyon up, giving him to Marissa, who simultaneously let go of Declan.

"Uncle Shane, how's dad doing?" a concerned Cameron asked. Well at least someone cared about Shane's existence.

"Uh…" Not sure of what to answer, Shane told Cameron the answer he felt was what Shawn wanted for his kids to hear. "Your dad… he's… fine. He's doing better now… just resting… you want us to call him?" He didn't really tell a lie, because Shawn was really doing better. But he didn't want to add or delete things in what he would say to the kid. So that was the best way to answer the question, to directly ask the person involved.

Before Shane had the chance to take his phone out, Randy was already making a call to Shawn. Then he just heard Shane, in a half-genuine, half-sarcastic voice say, "Thanks man!"

Then John, from where he was seated, inquired, "And the sister?"

Shane felt a bit down. Did he really need to raise that question? He let out a deep sigh and replied, "Uhm… uh… she's… she's doing okay. Resting too… Paul's spending the night there… so…" He just didn't feel like explaining the situation to anyone anymore. And, he was not even sure whether it would be okay to his sister for everyone to know about her condition. And as long as nothing is really, really final, it's best for things to be kept to themselves first at the moment."

Marissa sensed that it seemed like Shane was feeling uncomfortable already, and decided to shift the topic and call it a night already. They had to leave the room as soon as possible, not because they didn't like John and Randy, but because they just didn't feel like facing anyone who cared for Steph. It was too hard for them to continue any conversation about her anymore.

"Okay kids, say goodnight now… we're heading back to our room…"

"Mooooom!!! Kenyon… me… stay here…" Declan whined from his place.

"Baby, we have to go and let Uncle John and Uncle Randy rest already…"

Pouting, Declan negotiated with his mother. "Peeeeeeeasse?"

Finally, John decided to interfere. "Uhm, excuse me… guys… it's okay. I think it's better if they just stay here… we'll be the ones watching over them. You two seem to really need much rest and quiet. Plus, I doubt that this little boy (while patting the head of Cameron, who was still on the phone with his dad) would allow your kids to go anyway. So, before a bigger commotion occurs, you just leave them to us, and we'll all be fine."

No longer having the energy to argue, the couple agreed. It really has been a long day. "Fine, fine… we'll see you guys tomorrow then."

Randy picked up Kenyon, who was just let go by his mom minutes ago, assisting him in saying goodnight to his parents. "Say goodbye to mommy. Goodnight mommy. Sweet dreams…" he said, declaring in behalf of the kid. Kenyon got a kiss from each of his parents. "Goodnight baby. Be good for mommy, okay?"

Then Declan did the same thing, earning him the same thing, plus a pat in the head. Cameron and Cheyenne waved goodbye and goodnight, too, while Randy and John chorused, "Goodnight guys… see ya tomorrow!"

Making their way to the door, Shane and Rissa thanked the two youngsters and proceeded to their own room.

It has been surely been a long day for the both of them. For all of them.


	16. Just Right

CHAPTER 16: Just Right…

Shawn was lying down in bed, in deep thoughts when the opening of the door interrupted him. Rebecca entered the room quietly, and smiled at the patient. "Hey you…"

"Hi baby!"

"So how are you doing now? How'd the conversation with the best friend go?"

"I think it went well. I hope he's in a better state of mind now. You know… hoping that I've lifted his spirits somehow… and this kid right here (while pointing to self) is doing a-ok."

"Well that's good then… I think it's best that you keep resting. That'll mean a faster recovery, something that we all would want… so… rest now, I'll just fix some things around in here…" Rebecca said while fixing the blanket on Shawn.

Then the sudden ringing of Shawn's cell phone interrupted her. Rebecca picked up the phone, and saw the caller id that read: Randy Orton. "It's Randy."

"Huh? Maybe it's one of the kids… you answer it…"

Becca answered the call, then got to talk to Cam, and then she passed the phone along to Shawn. He was just calling to see how Shawn was.

After the conversation with his son, Shawn flipped the phone down and gave it back to his wife, and suddenly asked a question. "Uhm… wait. Uh… before I get to rest fully, uhm… do… do you have a minute?" Shawn debated to himself on how to tell his wife what he has been meaning to since he woke up.

Sitting down on the chair beside the bed, which was occupied by Paul just minutes ago, Rebecca got concerned. "Yeah… Sure… What's on your mind?"

"Uh… I just wanna tell you something…" With his left hand, Shawn held his wife's hands.

In a gentle voice, he began, "I… I would like to start by apologizing to you for what happened tonight. I know I promised you earlier that I would take good care of myself that nothing's gonna happen to me. But now, I'm here, lying in a hospital bed and you're here, watching over me. I know that when I fell from the cell, it freaked you out, and I'm sorry for that. I know you got scared too, somehow, and I'm also apologizing for that. I know it was hard for you to see that, and I didn't really want to hurt you with that. I didn't mean to… I didn't know… so, I'm sorry that I broke my promise to you…"

For reasons not clear to her, tears started to form in Rebecca's eyes. Maybe it was just because she felt that she was so fortunate to have a husband who claimed responsibility for his actions, even if in reality, it was not even his fault. It was nobody's fault; it was an accident. Kissing his hand, Rebecca replied, "Baby, you don't have to say sorry. It's not your fault. It's noone's fault. It was bound to happen. Don't blame yourself over this. It's okay…"

Wiping the tears away from his wife's face, Shawn continued, "I will still stick by that promise though, to always take care of myself when I'm out in the ring. But by the looks of it, I wouldn't have to keep that promise for the next week seeing that I would not be allowed to wrestle anyway…" The last part was definitely a joke.

Slightly chuckling, Rebecca shot back, "You bet your ass you should!"

"Okay… so… yeah… that's just it. So you could do whatever you're supposed to do now, and I'm gonna take my beauty rest now. In the business I work in, looks are as good, if not better, than talent. Just take a look at John…"

Slapping Shawn's arm, Becca said, "Meanie!!! You should really not spend so much time with Paul. You're turning out to be more and more like him!!! Don't do that… anyway, go rest now… good night. And if you ever need anything, I'll be here. If I'm asleep, wake me up, okay?" Then she planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Sure… Uh… would you lie with me for a bit?" He pouted, and in a baby-like voice, he continued, "Puuuhhlease…"

She patted his head, and agreed. "Okay, okay baby Shawn…" And she did.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing…"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"And I love you too Mr. Hickenbottom…"

Then Shawn slowly closed his eyes, and eventually fell asleep with Rebecca by his side. All of the pain he was feeling just a while ago seemed to suddenly vanish.

---

Paul entered the room and found Steph seemingly asleep. Well, maybe she was just resting. She was tired and a thousand more, and she really needed much rest. Paul decided to just allow her to sleep so he walked to the bed and kissed Steph's forehead, before supposedly fixing the things around then getting some sleep as well.

But as if he was Prince Charming and she was Sleeping Beauty, with that kiss, she slowly opened her eyes and smiled, when she saw that he was there. In a soft voice, she decided to let her presence be known. "Hey!"

"Oh! Hi! I'm sorry… didn't mean to wake you… go… go ahead and rest. You really need it. I'll just fix some things around here then I'm gonna go rest too…"

"Hmmm… that's interesting when it's you who makes a mess at home. You won't even put out the trash." Steph decided to tease him.

"Steph…" His voice was a warning like one. "Don't start this now… you need to rest."

"But I won't, unless you come and rest with me."

"I will… once I get this done."

She teased him more. "Then I won't be resting till then."

For some reason, Paul was beginning to feel irritated already. Normally, he won't and instead would "play" and joke around with Stephanie. With the long list of facts he has about Steph that would really come out as strong arguments, he wins all of these "arguments", except when it was just Steph's day and she was able to make it a draw. But tonight, he didn't want to play and joke around. He was too tired and worn out; he just wanted to get some rest as soon as possible. But more importantly, Stephanie was sick and she needed to get some rest… now."

"Stephanie…" his voice was now sterner. And looking at her straight to the eye, he continued, "I'm not kidding… go to sleep. Now."

It didn't take long before Steph realized that he was really not in the mood, so she just dropped the teasing and give in to Paul's wish. She decided to just lie there and try to fall into slumber. She may not be able to fall asleep yet, but at least she was already "resting". Then in a sheepish voice, she looked down and said, "I'm sorry…"

Realizing his "mistake", Paul went up to her, stroked her hair, and in a now much gentle voice said: "Baby, I'm sorry too… I didn't mean to raise my voice… I… I…"

"No… it's okay. It was not your fault. I should have listened…"

"Okay, okay… how about we forget this thing happened as it seems that we have called it quits already anyway… how's that?"

She smiled at him and replied, "Good."

"I… I… just have a question if that's okay with you…" Steph asked, now more timidly.

"Yeah? What?"

"Have you talked to the doctor yet?" Steph seemed scared asking that question.

Pulling the seat nearest to him, Paul sat beside his wife's bedside. This was going to be a long, serious conversation. He just could feel it. "Actually, I… I have."

"And?"

"Well… I'm supposed to just tell you this tomorrow when you're all rested and tire-free… but since you asked, I might as well tell you…"

In a now shaky voice, Steph once again asked, "What did he say?" Tears were now starting to form in her eyes. In all honesty, she was scared. She was really, really scared. She cannot even imagine the thought of having to leave everyone. No, she can't do that. She can't leave her family—her parents, her brother, her best friend who became more and more like a sister to her everyday, her nephews, and more importantly, her daughter and Paul. There was no way that she would leave them…

Seeing a vulnerable Steph almost breaking down in front of him, Paul took her hand, stood up, sat beside her in the bed and embraced her into a hug.

Paul tried his best to comfort and calm Steph down. "Hey, come' on now… don't cry… don't, because I'ma sure to follow… I'm sure we don't want a nurse suddenly enter and see that. Or else my image goes down the drain…"

While continuously caressing her hair, Paul continued, "Baby, it's okay… you'll be fine… the doctor said that they're gonna have you examined again tomorrow, and then schedule you for surgery as soon as possible. Maybe even as soon as this Wednesday. And before you know it, you're already well. Okay? So, see? There's nothing to worry about… baby, you'll be fine." Then he kissed her on her temple.

As if she were a lost kid, Steph looked at Paul with still wet eyes and asked, "You… you won't leave me right?" Oh, how she looked so innocent!

Paul let out a slight chuckle. She was just so cute! "Of course not! Baby, I will be with you every step of the way. What makes you think I'll leave you, huh?"

"I don't know… maybe… maybe you don't love me anymore. Especially after you've found out that I… I'm sick…"

"We're done with that conversation already, right? We have discussed that already… I told you, I wouldn't leave you. I promised you, I'd be here beside you. Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Yeah… you said you'll take out the trash the other day. Yet, it was I who did it…"

"Well… except that…" Paul was thankful that Steph was now a bit okay, now making jokes and once again getting the best of him. "I said I was sorry… I can't help it… I was too tired. Working out then doing paper work then working you all in one day is pretty much tiring, you know!" Then they both laughed.

"Hmph!"

Then Paul decided to turn to serious mode. Looking at her, he said, "But you know what, baby, have I told you that I haven't loved you more than I do now?"

"You do?"

"Yes, I do. And I'll keep all the promises I told you the day we officially said 'I do'."

"Well, I love you too. And I'm grateful for each day, that I wake up to be lying next to you."

Then in a cocky manner ala Randy Orton, Paul said, "Well, you better… I mean, who wouldn't, right?" This earned him a slap in the arm. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Stop hanging around Orton much, will ya?"

"So now you're the one deciding on whom I should be friends with too? You did that with girl friends, now you're doing it with my guy friends too? Hmph!"

"Of course… and I know you love me too much, anyway!"

"And I love you, too. Now good night, and rest well…"

Then with those pleading baby blue eyes, Stephanie said, "Would you stay here with me for a while?"

"Sure thing…"

The couple shared a kiss and Steph went to sleep, knowing full well that with Paul by her side tonight and in life, there was nothing to worry about.

---

Marissa was trying her best to feel comfortable to be able to get some sleep. She has been lying down in bed for the past half hour, and despite being so tired already, she still couldn't get any sleep. She wondered whether there was even a member of the McMahon family who is or will be able to sleep tonight. She doubted it.

Her thoughts were proven true when she turned around and saw Shane just staring at the ceiling. He was evidently in deep thoughts, and he didn't show any sign of sleeping any time soon. She watched her husband for a few more seconds, and then decided to finally get his attention. She felt that Shane needed someone to talk to because there was something inside of her telling her that Shane hasn't released his emotions completely yet. She just did that a while ago, and he was there for her. Now, she's going to do the same for him.

"Shane?"

Slightly surprised to hear his name, Shane looked at his wife. "Can't sleep either?" Then he went back to what he was previously doing, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah… tried to, just can't. And you? What's on your mind?"

"Just thinking…"

"Care to share? Come' on… you haven't really talked much with what has happened…"

Not removing his eyes from the ceiling, he tried to reassure her that he was okay. "I'm… I'm fine… you don't have to worry about me… try getting some sleep again. You need it…"

But Rissa wasn't just about to give up. She has been married to him for ten years already, and they have been together for more than fifteen years. She knew that he could be stubborn at times, and that was even something about him that she loved. "Shane…"

"Seriously… I'm fine…"

Then in a pleading voice, Marissa said, "Hey, look… it's okay to let whatever is in (placing a hand on his chest, on his heart) there come out. Baby, come' on you can tell me… in times like this, we need each other. Please don't shun me out…" She didn't want it to come out that way, but she was tired already, and couldn't think straight anymore.

Shane looked at his wife once again, and saw that she was already pleading with him. He also saw the hurt in her eyes and her voice, that she felt he was shunning her out of his life. So he had no choice, but to tell her. Damn! Marissa really knew him all too well, sometimes, she knew him more than he did himself.

"Just thinking about Steph. She… she just looked so… so… vulnerable, so innocent. Then she's trying to come out strong with all these, when I know deep down, she's scared. That's how she is, you know… trying to put on this strong façade, as an escape to reality… I'm just scared that something might happen to her. She's my only sister! I couldn't understand why this is even happening to her. I… I…" Then he could no longer continue because he was already choking up.

Rissa sat up, stroked his hair, and tried her best to comfort him. "Baby, you know that she will be fine. She may be this façade-creating person, but you know she's a fighter. She's a McMahon for god's sake! She's gonna fight until the end, especially when she knows that there are a lot of things and people to fight for. She won't leave you, or us, 'cause she's not that mean. She's only slightly evil."

"But you can never tell… if fate takes her, it takes her."

"First off, I can tell. I can feel it. And you too, can, if you believe. Keep believing baby, and she will be fine. And fate won't take her… no way… we won't allow that to happen. Fate's gonna get killed by Paul and your dad when that happens… Honey, just hang in there. Keep believing and hoping… she's gonna get well. Soon."

"I just certainly hope so…"

"We all do." Then Rissa gave him a kiss, and lay down on the bed too, now with their arms around each other.

"I surely won't know how to live without you."

"Haha… well I'm sure someone else would do a fine job being there for you if I weren't born."

"And that would be?"

"Hmmm… someone like… Candice Michelle or Lita?"

"Someone's a little jealous…" Shane teased her referring to his character's extra closeness with the mentioned divas in the past episodes of Raw. It wasn't his fault that those girls flirted with him.

"Excuse me…"

"Tell me… you jealous of those divas?"

"And why would I be jealous of them? Is there a reason for me to be jealous?"

"What if I tell you that when Candice flirted with me, I liked every second of it? What if I tell you that I enjoyed John's comment about a one night stand with Lita, and have actually considered that thought?" He teased her more. He was amused by what was happening at the moment. Actually, this is a normal scene for them. They were a very open couple, and that was probably one of the reasons why their marriage lasted for ten years.

"Oh well then… have fun!" Then Marissa removed his arms off her, and turned to her side, as if she was mad.

Shane didn't buy any of that and continued to tease her more. "Or is it because you're insecure? Huh?"

She faced him once again, now with a fake angry face and voice. "And what is for me to be insecure about? I may not look as hot as they do, but for your information, I have done something they haven't, which is to give birth to two boys, who happen to be your kids, too!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Uh!!! Yeah… I forgot to tell you… they're not yours. Declan is Shawn's, and Kenyon's Randy's. So there! Happy now?" It was now her turn to do the teasing. Shawn and Randy were the two superstars whom she found to be the best looking, although she hasn't really done anything about it. It was just plain admiration, which both guys weren't aware of but Shane sure did. She told him.

"Ah! So you're turning the tables now huh! Seriously, would I believe you about the Shawn part? Shawn's way nice to do that. And Randy? He may be a playboy, but you and Randy? Eeeeww!!! He knows better…"

"Meanie!!!! For the next months or so, go find someone else to cook you food, 'cause I surely won't do that for you. And don't expect to be getting any anymore, 'cause you surely wouldn't get any!"

"Well, if that's the case, I guess Candice and Lita will come in handy."

"Ahhhhh!!! I hate you!" Then she turned back to her side, deciding not to talk to him anymore.

"Hey, hey, look, I'm sorry… was just kidding… come' on… are you gonna ignore me forever? Baby, come' on…"

She did not bulge. That's when he decided to see close-up what she was up to. Shane hugged her from behind, and saw that she was just staring at something across. She seemed to not be in a joking mood anymore. Furthermore, she was in tears!

"Oh my… baby, hey, what's wrong? I… I was just kidding… you know that. I wouldn't

do that to you… of course not! I love you too much to do that to you… Baby…"

Then he moved her and made her face him.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Shane made a mental note/curse to himself. _Idiot! _He hated seeing his wife cry, and now, she was! And it's his fault!

"Hey… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

She finally replied, which was a huge relief for him. "It's okay. I didn't mean to cry too. I don't know what happened to me…"

"Maybe it's just because of today… you're stressed out. So, let's just… let's just get some rest okay. We'll all be fine. You said so yourself. And honey, you have never lied."

"Yeah… let's get some sleep… and uh… I… I love you, too."

They laid together, arms around each other, believing that everything will just be fine.

---

Shawn, Rebecca, Paul, Stephanie, Shane and Marissa ended the night at least on a more positive note. Despite everything that has happened today, sickness, accidents, injuries, revelations, tears, doubts, questions, with each other, in each other's presence, they knew everything would be okay. They have a strong feeling that there would be nothing to worry about any longer. They have high hopes that they would come out victorious from this.

Ironically, without their respective kids around them, the couples still felt well. This was how things started anyway. And that would how things are back to someday. No Cameron, no Cheyenne, no Declan, no Kenyon, no Aurora. They would all grow up and live with their own families. It will be just them, with their respective spouses, continuing on with life. Tonight, that was how things were, and everything seemed to be just right.


End file.
